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diff --git a/40862.txt b/40862.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 996a106..0000000 --- a/40862.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9768 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau, v.2 -(Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XVI), by Charles Paul de Kock - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau, v.2 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XVI) - -Author: Charles Paul de Kock - -Release Date: September 25, 2012 [EBook #40862] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWER GIRL, V.2 *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - -[Illustration: frontispiece, Copyright 1904 by G. Barrie & Sons] - -_DEATH OF RONCHEROLLE_ - -_"O my God! my father is dead!" cried the girl. Georget and his friend -sadly hung their heads; thereupon Violette fell into Monsieur de -Brevanne's arms._ - - - - -NOVELS - -BY - -Paul de Kock - -VOLUME XVI - -THE FLOWER GIRL OF THE CHATEAU D'EAU - -VOL. II - -[Illustration: PRINTED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH GEORGE BARRIE'S SONS] - -THE JEFFERSON PRESS BOSTON NEW YORK - -_Copyrighted, 1903-1904, by G. B. & Sons._ - - - - -THE FLOWER GIRL OF THE CHATEAU D'EAU - - - - -XXIV - -HOW IT HAPPENED - - -"I had fallen madly in love with Mademoiselle Lucienne Courtenay; you -know as well as I that her beauty and her charm attracted every eye. I -paid my addresses to her, she welcomed my homage. In short, I believed -that she loved me as dearly as I loved her, and we were married. - -"During the first year of our union, I was happy; but I began at last to -discover that my wife was not, as I thought, a model of affection and -sensibility. Lucienne was coquettish, extremely coquettish; accustomed -very early to being flattered because of her beauty, she must needs -always be surrounded with homage, with compliments, with admirers! Dress -was her principal, I might even say her only, occupation. Amiable and -playful when she had her little court about her, my wife yawned and was -bored when we were alone. If I spoke to her of my love, she would reply -by inquiring about some new fashion. Ah! Monsieur de Merval, if coquetry -amuses and fascinates in a mistress, it becomes very dangerous in a -wife, especially if a man is jealous, and I was. - -"The second year of my marriage passed, and I had already ceased to be -happy; my wife desired to pass her life in parties, dissipation, balls; -if I ventured to remonstrate, if I seemed disposed to decline an -invitation, she would make a scene, she would call me a tyrant! You may -imagine that I always ended by giving way; when one is in love, one is -very weak, and I was still in love with my wife; I did everything to -please her; I said to myself: 'Her taste for dissipation will pass! With -time she will become more sensible, and she will give a little more -thought to her husband.' - -"My greatest grief at that time was that I was not a father; I prayed -constantly that Lucienne might give me a pledge of her love, but my -prayers were not granted. Ah! many times since then, monsieur, I have -thanked God because He did not listen to me; for it is a great -misfortune to have children when one cannot set them the example of -domestic peace and virtue!" - -Here Monsieur de Merval turned his head away, with a singular -expression; but the count, paying no heed, continued: - -"Now I must mention a person whom you knew, De Roncherolle, with whom I -was very intimate. We had been close friends at school. Roncherolle was -a very handsome gallant, and his unfailingly high spirits, his -effervescent, although slightly satirical wit, fascinated almost -everybody who knew him. We had lost sight of each other on leaving -school; when I met him again, after nine or ten years, he was a man of -fashion, famous for his gallant adventures, for his success with the -ladies. He was still as jovial and clever as before; his tendency to -mockery often involved him in difficulty, but, being as brave as he was -sarcastic, he had already fought several duels in which he had borne -himself most honorably. He seemed so glad to see me again, and -manifested so much affection for me, that I did not hesitate to give him -mine, and we soon became inseparable. But there was a great difference -in our dispositions, in our characters. Roncherolle made fun of -everything; he often laughed at or turned to ridicule the most venerated -customs, the sentiments most worthy of respect, and we sometimes had -lively altercations on that subject; but Roncherolle always brought them -to a close by some jocose remark, by some repartee so original, that it -was impossible to take anything seriously with him. - -"When I married, Roncherolle naturally became one of the habitues of my -house; you will be surprised perhaps to learn that with my jealous -temperament, I introduced into my domestic circle a fascinating man, -especially renowned for his conquests; but I believed Roncherolle to be -my friend, my sincere friend; and despite his easy-going principles, he -was the last man whom I deemed capable of betraying me! Alas! I believed -in friendship, as I had believed in love; it is so pleasant to believe; -but one suffers keenly in proportion when one is undeceived! - -"I was destined to pay dear for my confidence ere long. Obliged to take -a journey which would keep me away from Paris for a week, I desired to -take my wife with me; she invented a thousand excuses for not -accompanying me. I went away, urging Roncherolle to take care of -Lucienne. I was blind, as you see; I had no suspicion of what others -perhaps had already guessed. - -"But when treachery surrounds us, it seems as if heaven itself -undertakes to open our eyes; it arranges events in such a way as to -reveal the truth to us; for I do not believe in chance, I believe only -in Providence. - -"As soon as I arrived at Havre, which was my destination, I found that -the matter which I supposed was in litigation was settled, so that I was -free the next day, and I started to return to Paris. I exulted in the -thought of surprising my wife, whom I had not warned of my return. The -train which took me back to Paris was delayed two hours on the way, and -it was nearly midnight when I reached my house; the weather was bad, the -night was very dark, but I distinguished a carriage which arrived almost -at the same time as myself, and stopped a few steps from the porte -cochere of my house. A secret presentiment or warning instantly took -possession of my mind. Something told me that my wife was in that -carriage, that she was not returning alone, and that I was on the point -of discovering a shocking treachery! I cannot tell you how it was that -that thought came to me so suddenly, or what was the source of the flash -that suddenly gleamed in my eyes; but without hesitating a second, I -quickened my pace and reached the carriage just as the driver opened the -door to let the persons who were within alight. The size of the cab and -the darkness enabled me to hide behind it and, unseen, to hear -everything. - -"Roncherolle alighted first, I recognized him instantly; then he helped -my wife to alight; but imagine my feelings, when, instead of entering -the house at once, I saw her walk a few steps away with Roncherolle, to -whom she applied the sweetest and most affectionate names, and then made -an appointment to meet him the next day. I did not need to hear any -more; I could no longer doubt my misfortune. The man whom I had believed -to be my sincere friend was my wife's lover! I rushed like a thunderbolt -between the traitorous pair, and talked to them as they deserved. My -wife uttered a shriek, and ran to the door and rang the bell. I grasped -Roncherolle's arm, when he too tried to fly, and said to him: 'You know -now what I expect of you; the insult you have offered me can only be -wiped out with your blood; if heaven is just, I shall kill you; if not, -after betraying your friend, you will have the added happiness of making -his wife a widow. To-morrow morning, at eight o'clock, I shall expect -you at Porte Maillot; we need no seconds; luckily, I know that you are -no coward; I rely upon you.' - -"Roncherolle disappeared without a word. I entered my house; I hesitated -to appear before my wife, for I expected tears, entreaties, a scene of -despair; but although my heart was torn, although it requires much -courage to endure a blow which shatters in a moment the whole charm of -one's life, my course was already fully decided upon, and that is why I -went to my wife's apartment. - -"Imagine my surprise, my stupefaction, when I found her occupied in -preparing for the night, almost as tranquilly as if nothing had -happened. However, at my approach, I saw that she trembled a little, she -was afraid of me; that was the only sentiment that I inspired in her, -that was her only remorse. - -"'Do not tremble, madame,' I said to Lucienne, 'I am too well-bred to -adopt extreme measures with you, measures which your infamous conduct -would render excusable, perhaps, but which after all would not wipe out -the dishonor with which you have covered my name. That name I propose to -abandon, and I order you also to cease to bear it; this is the last -order that you will receive from me. To-morrow I go away, I leave you -forever. You have your own fortune, I have mine, and thank heaven! our -marriage contract was drawn up in such a way that each of us retains the -enjoyment of his own property. I shall make no noise, no scandal; the -world may interpret my conduct as it pleases; very likely it will put me -in the wrong, that would not surprise me; but I shall get over it; it -will be much harder for me, no doubt, to give up a happiness of which I -had dreamed, of which I was still dreaming, and which I did not think -was destined to last so short a time; but I will try, and heaven will -help me.' - -"After saying this, I was silent for a few moments. I confess that I -expected tears and some words of repentance. But I was mistaken again! -My wife uttered a few incoherent sentences, in which, however, I -understood that she was trying to make me think that I was a visionary, -that I had misunderstood her conversation with Roncherolle, and finally -she ended by saying that she was very unhappy with me and that we should -do well to separate. I left her, I went away with death in my heart, but -without a glance at that woman who had not a single tear for the -unhappiness she caused me! - -"The next day at seven o'clock, I had finished all my preparations for -departure and had written to my notary; I was preparing to start for the -place where I had appointed to meet Roncherolle, when a messenger -brought me a letter; I recognized the handwriting of the man whom I was -going to meet, and I hastily broke the seal; that letter has remained -engraven in my memory! Roncherolle's missive was thus conceived: - -"'My dear De Brevanne'--he had the effrontery still to address me -so!--'I am very sorry for all that has happened. You have taken the -thing too seriously! I believed that you--as everybody else did; and -this is one of those things which happen every day; why in the devil did -you come back when you were not expected? From the days of the famous -Sultan of the Thousand and One Nights, such surprises have always -brought ill luck to those who make them. Now you want to fight with me. -I know perfectly well that you are entitled to, but it would be a -stupendous piece of folly, which you would repent some day. Yes, if you -should kill me, I will wager that later--much later probably, but at -some time or other--the day would come when you would be sorry for it; -for the passions calm down, and when a man reflects coolly, he is often -surprised to find that he has been terribly angry for a trifle. I -propose then to spare you the regret of having killed me; and as for -myself, I need not tell you that I shall never aim a pistol at you. And -so, as our duel cannot take place, it is useless for you to go to a -rendezvous where you will not find me. You know me well enough to be -aware that it is not from cowardice that I decline this duel; I have -proved that. But with you,--no, whatever you may do, I will not fight; -and as you will hope doubtless to meet me somewhere, I give you notice -that when you receive this letter I shall already have left Paris. -Adieu; I tell you again, I am sorry, very sorry for what I have done, as -you are seriously offended, but if you should kill me ten times over, -that would remedy nothing, for what is done is done. Adieu. He who no -longer dares to call himself, but who will always be, your friend.'" - - * * * * * - -At this point in Monsieur de Brevanne's narrative, Monsieur de Merval -could not help uttering an exclamation and interrupting the count. - -"Upon my word," he said, "I do not believe that there ever was another -letter like that. To write in such terms, under such circumstances! -However, it depicts the man, and I recognize Monsieur de Roncherolle in -every line; he shows himself in that letter as he was in -society!--Excuse me for interrupting you and pray go on." - -"I could not believe that that letter which I had under my eyes meant -what it said; ten times I read it, then I went to Roncherolle's house; -but he had not misled me, he had gone away at six o'clock that morning. -Judging from the preparations that he had made, it was probable that he -had left Paris, but where had he gone? No one could tell me. I sought -him in every direction, to no purpose; for several days I made the most -minute search, I could not discover a trace of the man, who, after -shamefully betraying my friendship, dared appeal to it to excuse himself -for not giving me satisfaction for his outrage. So I was forced to go -away without my revenge. Ah! Monsieur de Merval, I confess that that was -one of the most cruel torments that I suffered! I left France and -travelled for some time; but on receipt of certain intelligence, I -returned suddenly to Paris a year after my departure; I was assured that -De Roncherolle had returned, that he had been seen; but despite all my -efforts, I could not succeed in finding him. I went away again and -travelled a long while; years passed, and time, that great restorer, at -last restored the tranquillity which I had lost, without, however, -restoring my happiness; for, from the sufferings that I had undergone, I -had retained a deep-rooted misanthropy, and almost an aversion to -mankind. I was excusable, was I not, monsieur? Betrayed in my dearest -affections, at the age when the heart abandons itself to them with the -least reserve, I no longer believed in anything that had formerly -contributed to my happiness; and it is melancholy to say to oneself: 'I -have no friend; the man who presses my hand to-day will betray me -to-morrow if any of his passions may be gratified by so doing.'" - -"Oh! Monsieur de Brevanne, you must not include all mankind in the same -anathema! Believe me, there are sincere sentiments, and there are men -who understand friendship.--And so you have not seen Monsieur de -Roncherolle since the day that you were to fight?" - -"As I tell you, it was impossible for me to find him. Someone told me -once that he had met him in the Pyrenees, travelling with a lady who -called herself the Baronne de Grangeville; from the portrait that was -given me of that lady, I had no doubt that it was my wife, and that -thought prevented me from going to the Pyrenees; for I will admit that, -while I desired earnestly to meet a false friend upon whom I hoped to be -revenged, I had not the slightest desire to meet a woman whom I had -loved so dearly and who had betrayed me so outrageously. Much time has -passed since then. A few years ago, I bought this country house, in -which I am beginning to take some pleasure. Now, Monsieur de Merval, you -know the cause of my separation from Madame de Brevanne--tell me frankly -if the world guessed the truth, and if it judged justly in this -matter?" - -"Yes, I tell you again, you were not the one who was blamed; to be sure, -there were, immediately after your rupture, some persons, ladies -especially, who undertook to compassionate the Comtesse de Brevanne, and -when they mentioned her, always referred to her as the unfortunate wife, -the poor woman whose husband had abandoned her; but very soon those same -persons were obliged to admit that they were wrong, for the connection -between Madame de Grangeville and Monsieur de Roncherolle became so -evident that it was impossible to refuse to believe in it. However, as -there are women who are never willing to admit that they were altogether -in the wrong, they undertook to excuse your wife by declaring that her -intimacy with Roncherolle probably dated from the moment that you left -her. But after that, events spoke so loud, the facts were so patent!" - -"What's that? what events, what facts?" said the count, gazing at -Monsieur de Merval; the latter paused, seemed embarrassed, and -continued, in the tone of a person who feels that he has said too much: - -"Why, I mean Madame de Grangeville's departure from Paris, her -travelling with Monsieur de Roncherolle; however, you know all that as -well as I do, and I fancy that it cannot be very agreeable to you that I -should expatiate farther upon these details in the life of a person who -no longer bears your name." - -"My dear Monsieur de Merval, as I told you before I began the story of -my deplorable misadventure, only a short time ago I should not have had -the courage to do it, or to listen calmly while you spoke of that woman -whom I loved so well; but I have seen that woman again, here--I mean in -this neighborhood--only a few days ago." - -"What! you have seen----" - -"The person who calls herself now the Baronne de Grangeville, yes. It -was at the party given by my neighbors, the people whose house you were -leaving when I met you this morning. They had invited me, and I, -surmounting for once my aversion to society, attended the party. In -fact, I may as well confess that I had not entirely lost the hope of -finding Roncherolle; I have been positively assured that he is in Paris -now, and as most of my neighbor's guests were likely to come from Paris, -I said to myself: 'I will go back into society, and perhaps I shall meet -there the man whom I have sought in vain so long.' So I went to Monsieur -Glumeau's; they were giving theatricals in his woods, and I stood apart -from the others, but where I could see everybody. Imagine my feelings -when my eyes met those of a lady seated beside Madame Glumeau, who very -quickly turned her head aside when her glance and mine met. That glance, -brief as it was, impressed me--it instantly reminded me of Lucienne. I -left my place, and standing farther away under the trees, it was easy -for me to observe at my leisure that person's features. I cannot -describe my sensations; I could not, I did not wish to believe that it -was my wife; I imagined her still young and pretty; in short, still as -fascinating as at the time I parted from her." - -"And you found a tremendous change! Remember that twenty years make -great ravages, especially in women who were formerly very pretty; the -ugly ones change much less, and it is that fact that consoles them for -being ugly.--Did Madame de Grangeville recognize you?" - -"I have every reason to think so; when a few drops of rain put the -guests to flight, she alone remained in her seat, she seemed afraid to -move; at last, however, she turned her head to see if I were still -there; she saw me and her terror seemed to redouble; apparently I -frightened her! As for myself, she aroused my compassion, nothing more! -I was about to go away, when several young men came in search of her and -escorted her back to Monsieur Glumeau's house, where, as you may -imagine, I was careful not to follow her.--Now, Monsieur de Merval, -explain to me, pray, how it happens that that meeting, which, by -arousing all my memories, should have renewed my former griefs, has -produced an absolutely contrary effect? Yes, since that moment my heart -has been calmer, my thoughts have been much less gloomy; it seems to me -that my mind views things in an entirely different aspect now!" - -"The change seems to me very easy to explain, monsieur le comte. Before -this meeting, your wife was still in your eyes the youthful beauty with -whom you were in love and of whom you were jealous; your memories were -the more bitter because they always recalled the treachery of a very -fascinating person! To-day that same person appears before you with -twenty years more upon her, and she is so changed that you have -difficulty in recognizing her. You realized then that you were still in -love with, and unhappy about, a person who no longer exists. For to you, -who have passed nearly twenty years without seeing your wife, her beauty -has entirely vanished; whereas to those who have seen her constantly, -she may still appear beautiful. As a man of much wit once said: 'How do -you expect that one person should notice that another grows old, when -they see each other every day?'--Hence I conclude, Monsieur de Brevanne, -that sentiments of regret are much less poignant when the object -regretted has ceased to be what it once was." - -"I believe that there is much truth in what you say. But have you seen -Madame de Grangeville lately, Monsieur de Merval?" - -"Yes, I too met her at the Glumeaus', in Paris, some time before the -festivity in question. I had seen Madame de Grangeville more recently -than you had, for I had caught sight of her occasionally at the play or -at concerts; but I never ventured to speak to her; the false position -which she occupied imposed that restraint upon me. At the Glumeaus', it -was she who accosted me and attempted to renew our acquaintance; she -even invited me to call upon her." - -"And you accepted that invitation?" - -"I should have been afraid of being discourteous if I failed to do so." - -"And does she still make the same show, is she still as fashionable as -ever? For she was a coquette in everything; she must have the most -sumptuous furniture; the most trivial object in her apartments must have -the stamp of the most refined elegance!" - -Monsieur de Merval shook his head slightly as he replied: - -"Oh, no! it's not like that at all now; Madame de Grangeville's -household has undergone the same change as her person!" - -"Is it possible that her tastes have changed too?" - -"Oh, no! not her tastes! I presume that they are still the same; but it -is her means that have changed; I believe that she is ruined!" - -"Ruined!" - -"Or practically so!" - -"But she had twelve thousand francs a year!" - -"Yes, but that was twenty years ago; and in twenty years, a person who -loves luxury and pleasure can consume much more than that. In fact, I -found Madame de Grangeville in a small and very modest apartment, on a -fourth floor; and the furniture of that apartment was very far from -handsome!" - -"And how many servants?" - -"How many servants? Why, just one; and I fancy that one was sufficient. -I saw a sort of lady's maid, who doubtless does everything." - -The count's face darkened. He was silent for some moments, then -muttered: - -"So she has spent, squandered her fortune; and at the age when illusions -vanish, she will find herself destitute perhaps!" - -Monsieur de Merval made no reply, but took his hat. - -"Are you going to leave me already?" said the count; "I hoped to keep -you with me all day." - -"You are very kind, but it is impossible to-day; I must return to -Paris." - -"But at all events, you will promise to come again to see me?" - -"I will come next week, if you care to receive me." - -"I shall count upon you, and long for you as for a sunny day." - -"Au revoir then, my dear count; we shall meet again soon." - -Monsieur de Merval shook hands with Monsieur de Brevanne, then left the -house, saying to himself: - -"Poor count! he does not know all even yet! But what would be the use of -telling him a thing the knowledge of which could not be agreeable to -him, and which perhaps he will never know?" - - - - -XXV - -GEORGET'S TORMENTS - - -During the first days that he passed in the country, Georget rose at -daybreak and was occupied constantly until the night arrived; he hardly -gave himself time to eat his meals. He ran hither and thither from one -part of the garden to another; he turned up the earth with the gardener, -he felled trees, he gathered wood, wheeled the barrow, cleaned paths, -transplanted shrubs, and did it all with so much zeal and vigor that his -face was constantly streaming with perspiration. - -In vain did his mother urge him to take a little rest; he paid no heed -to her; and when Monsieur de Brevanne said to him: "Why do you tire -yourself so, Georget, for heaven's sake? There is no hurry; I don't want -people to kill themselves working, and you will make yourself sick, my -friend;" Georget tried to smile as he replied: - -"Oh, no! monsieur; on the contrary, it does me good to keep busy all the -time; it diverts my thoughts and amuses me; it prevents me from thinking -of something else too much." - -"Poor boy!" said the count to himself; "I understand; he does all this -to enable him to forget that young woman whom he loved; he is trying to -fly from himself; and he has much difficulty in doing so." - -"Friend Georget, him a squirrel!" said Pongo to Mere Brunoy. "Him no -stay a minute in one place. Him no sit down a minute in the shade to -rest and talk! So nice when you hot, to rest in the shade! Friend -Georget, him melt away with sweating. If him work like that in my -country, him die right away in two days!" - -However, there were times when the young man stopped, compelled to wipe -away the perspiration which streamed from his face; at such times he -would look about to make sure that he was alone; and when he was certain -that no one could see him, he would let his head fall on his breast, and -sit for some minutes absorbed in thought; and often great tears would -mingle with the perspiration on his cheeks. - -One evening, Georget went to his mother and asked: - -"Do you still like it here very much, mamma?" - -"Do I like it, my boy? Why I should be very hard to suit if I wasn't -happy here; a pretty house, a lovely country, pleasant work, all the -good things of life, and such a kind master, who keeps asking me if -there is anything I want! Aren't you happy and content to be here -yourself?" - -"Forgive me, mother, I am perfectly contented. We have been here a long -time already, haven't we?" - -"A long time! Only nine days, my dear." - -"Only nine days! That is strange! It seems to me as if it was more than -a month!" - -"Poor boy! Are you so terribly bored? Do you regret Paris?" - -"Oh, no! I don't regret Paris, mother! I don't think of Paris at all! -But, although I have said that I would never step foot in Paris again, -if you should happen to need anything, if you have left anything at our -rooms that you miss, you must tell me so, mother; because it would take -me only a short time to go and get it for you; and I will return at -once, I won't stop an instant. It is such a little way from here to -Paris, that I am sure it wouldn't take me three hours to go and come -back!" - -"Thanks, my child, but I have no need to send you to Paris; I haven't -left anything at home that I need; you won't have to take that trip." - -Georget said nothing more, but his face betrayed his disappointment; -however, he dared not insist, for he feared that his mother would read -what was going on in his heart. A few days later, Georget accosted -Pongo, who was busily engaged in a dispute with a superb dahlia. - -"Whom are you talking with, Pongo?" - -"Who me talking with, Monsieur Georget; why, you see, with this fine -flower, this lovely dahlia, with the little pink and white edges; but -him naughty, not willing to stand straight, always hang his head. What a -bad trick to hang his head, like a fox! You hear, flower? Hold up your -head and look at the sun, or me will have something to say to you." - -"It seems to me that it's a long time since you went to Paris, Pongo! I -thought that Monsieur Malberg used to send you there now and then?" - -"Yes, Monsieur Georget, master he send me to Paris when him have errands -for me.--Oh! see little red flower over there hold his little head -straight! Do you see, great coward, the little one stands better than -you!" - -"And you have no errands in Paris just now?" - -"No, Monsieur Georget, and me very glad to stay here, where it's cool, -not get tired travelling; though master, him always want me to take the -carriage; but me not like the carriage; too crowded, dirty folks, not -polite, make faces at Pongo! One day me going to fight a nurse who stuck -out her tongue at me! Then driver come and make me get up on top with -all the bundles!" - -"But that wasn't right, Pongo! What! you were going to fight with a -nurse,--a woman!" - -"Why, she stuck her tongue out at me and call me gingerbread man." - -"So, Pongo, you don't like it when you have to go to Paris?" - -"No, no! And then when me leave Carabi, him always scratch me when me -come back; for him forget me, and not mind me any more; but me go there -all the same." - -"Well, my dear Pongo, if you choose, the first time that Monsieur -Malberg gives you an errand to do in Paris, I will undertake it, I will -go in your place; and you need not be afraid but that I will do exactly -as you tell me." - -"Oh! thank you, Monsieur Georget, you very kind; but me can't accept." - -"Why not?" - -"No, no, me no do that!" - -"It would be a favor to me too, because then I could take the -opportunity to buy some things in Paris that I need." - -"No, Monsieur Georget, me not send you in my place, because, when -master, him tell me to go there, if me no do it, he says: 'Pongo he no -more my servant, Pongo he make others do his work'; and he turn me away. -No, Pongo always do master's work himself!--Just wait, you flower, me -take a cane to you, fine Zima like master's, and then you have to stand -straight." - -Georget walked sadly away from Pongo; the poor boy was burning with -longing to go to Paris, though it were to stay there but a moment; but -he dared not admit it either to his mother or to his patron; for after -swearing so often that he would never go there again, that he held Paris -in horror; after having earnestly begged that he might never be sent -there, how could he now have the face to ask permission to go there? -Would it not be equivalent to an admission that he was still thinking of -Violette, that he could not succeed in forgetting her, that, in short, -he would give ten years of his life to see her for an instant? At -eighteen, years seem such a trifle; if a lover's wishes could always be -gratified, he would often squander in a few days the best part of his -youth. - -Monsieur de Merval had kept the promise he had given to the Comte de -Brevanne, and had gone to Nogent to pass a day. That day had been -employed in walking about the country, talking confidentially all the -while. Monsieur de Brevanne had questioned his guest again concerning -Madame de Grangeville's present position, and without making it apparent -that he attached much importance to the matter, he had inquired her -address. He had also asked Monsieur de Merval if he had not met Monsieur -de Roncherolle in Paris; but Monsieur de Merval was unable to give him -any information upon that subject. - -During that day, employed in that confidential conversation, that -outpouring of the heart, in which one often reveals one's most secret -thoughts, Monsieur de Merval had been more than once on the point of -disclosing a secret of the greatest interest to him whose confidence he -received. But, always held back by the fear of causing him pain, he had -not spoken, and had left Monsieur de Brevanne, saying to himself, as -after his first visit: - -"What is the use of telling him that? Perhaps he will never know it." - -On the morrow of the day that he had passed with Monsieur de Merval, the -count in the morning informed his servant that they would go to Paris -about noon. - -Pongo began at once to make his preparations, which consisted, first of -all, in stuffing Carabi with cake and bits of meat, in order, he said, -that the cat might not commit larceny during his absence and so call -for punishment. - -The mulatto had hardly finished with his friend Carabi, and was about to -beat _flonflon_, which was the name he gave to his master's travelling -coat, when Georget passed him. - -"What are you doing there, Pongo?" said the young man, stopping. - -"Me beat flonflon, Monsieur Georget, me make _flonflon_ very fine and -clean; him like to be beaten, for him go to Paris!" - -"What? are you going to Paris, Pongo?" - -"Yes, me go with master, he tell me we go soon, at noon; you hear, -_flonflon_?--There! oh! you be all clean!" - -"You say that Monsieur Malberg is going to Paris to-day?" - -"Yes, Monsieur Georget, with me; he take me, so me put on Mina, my -pretty new cap." - -Georget stayed to hear no more, but set about searching the house for -the count; at last he found him seated under a lilac bush, where as -usual he seemed to be deep in meditation. - -"Pray forgive me, monsieur, if I disturb you," said Georget, approaching -the count; "but I have just learned that--that monsieur is going to -Paris to-day." - -"Yes, that is true; but what does it matter to you, my boy, so long as I -do not take you, as you begged me not to do? Never fear, I don't need -you; I shall take nobody but Pongo." - -"Mon Dieu! monsieur, you see, I have reflected--I have realized that I -was wrong to say that to monsieur, for I ought to be at his service, I -ought to be always ready to do what he wishes; and then--you see--I had -no right to ask monsieur not to take me to Paris when he went there; and -that is why--if monsieur would like me to go with him--why I will be -ready whenever monsieur says, I won't keep him waiting." - -The count watched Georget closely while he was speaking, and replied -gently: - -"I thank you, Georget, for the effort that you make to please me, but I -tell you again, I will not subject you to such a severe trial; you have -a horror of Paris, I know, and I can understand it; you might meet -someone there whom you wish never to see again, whom, on the contrary, -you wish to forget entirely; I will not expose you to dangers which you -are wise enough to avoid. Besides, I have no need of your service in -Paris; so calm your fears, my friend, you shall remain here." - -The poor boy was struck dumb; he did not know what to say; he turned -pale and staggered, and at last, finding that he had not the strength to -conceal longer what he felt, he fell on his knees in front of Monsieur -de Brevanne, stammering in a voice broken by sobs: - -"Oh! take me, monsieur! Take me, I beg you! It isn't my fault, but I -can't stand it any longer! I won't speak to her, monsieur; I won't speak -to her, that I swear to you; but if I can see her for a moment, just a -moment; if I can know that she is still there in the place where I used -to see her, then I will come right away, I will come back calmer and -more at peace, and I will work even better than ever, for my head will -not be in a whirl as it is now." - -"Rise, my poor boy! At all events, you are honest now, and I prefer -that. What is the use of disguising what you feel? Moreover, my poor -boy, you do not yet possess the art of dissembling; stay as you are; it -is more rare, but it is much better. Well, as you can't live without -seeing her, you may go to Paris with me." - -"Oh! how kind you are, monsieur!" - -"But be careful! be prudent! remember the past! Ah! if twenty years had -passed since you had seen the object of your love, I should have less -fear for you; but after only a fortnight, it's very dangerous!" - -"I won't speak to her, monsieur; I swear to you that I won't!" - -"Very good. Go and get ready, and tell Pongo that I am taking you in his -place, that he need not go to Paris." - -Georget, drunken with joy, ran like a mad man through the gardens; he -longed to tell everybody that he was going to Paris. He told the -gardener, who was watering his vegetables; he shouted it at his mother, -who was working in front of the house, and who thought that she must -have heard wrong; but when she attempted to ask her son for a word of -explanation, he was already far away. He hastened up to his room to -dress; he finished his toilet in a moment; then he started out to find -Pongo, whom he found still brushing and beating _flonflon_; he tried to -take possession of the coat, which the mulatto refused to give him. - -"Let me have it, Pongo! let me have it!" said Georget; "you are not -going to Paris, I am going to take your place. Give me the coat, I am -going to take it to monsieur; it is beaten enough." - -"What! what you say, Monsieur Georget,--me no go to Paris? Oh! you -joking! you make fun of me!" - -"I tell you, Pongo, that your master himself just told me that he would -take me in your place; you can stay here with Carabi, that ought to -please you." - -"Me no believe you! Let _flonflon_ alone." - -"But I want to carry the coat to monsieur, as he is ready to go." - -"You no touch _flonflon_! Me carry him to master alone, no need you." - -"Then take it at once----" - -"You won't give orders to Pongo. Let _flonflon_ alone!" - -"Ah! you tire me!" and Georget, in his impatience to be gone, leaped -upon the coat which the mulatto held by one sleeve; each insisted upon -the other's letting go, and as neither of them would give way and as -they continued to pull, the subject of the dispute fell upon the gravel, -deprived of both sleeves, which remained in the hands of the two -disputants for the honor of carrying that garment to their master. - -At that moment Monsieur de Brevanne arrived upon the scene of conflict; -he saw his coat upon the ground, sleeveless, while Georget and Pongo, -with an equally confused and sheepish expression, gazed piteously at the -portion of the garment which had remained in their hands. - -"Well! I am waiting for my coat!" said the count, who found it hard not -to smile at the bearing of the two persons before him. - -"Coat--_flonflon_--there, there!" said the mulatto, passing his master -the sleeve that he held. - -"What's this you are giving me, Pongo? a sleeve?" - -"Oh! me put on the rest afterward, master, me stitch up all what's torn, -me fix it nice. It's Monsieur Georget's fault, him want to take the -coat, him say me no longer monsieur's servant; me no believe him, he try -to take _flonflon_ by force." - -"That is true, monsieur," said Georget; "it is my fault that your coat -is torn, I admit; I was in such a hurry to bring it to you, and he -refused to give it to me." - -"If he take my place to wait on master, then Pongo discharged, turned -out! Poor Pongo! very unhappy! he go bang his head against the wall." - -And the mulatto began to utter noises that would have frightened an ox. -Not without much difficulty did his master convince him that he had -never had any intention of dismissing him, and that if he did take -Georget to Paris that day, it did not mean that Georget had any desire -to take his place. - -Georget himself embraced Pongo and begged him to forgive him for the -pain which he had involuntarily caused him; the mulatto became calm, he -picked up the pieces of _flonflon_, and Monsieur de Brevanne, having -donned another coat, started for Paris with Georget. - - - - -XXVI - -A GOOD FRIEND - - -On reaching Paris, the count said to Georget: - -"I don't need you at this moment, my boy; go about your own business; -but be on the boulevard, opposite Rue d'Angouleme, at five o'clock; I -will take you up there as I pass, I shall have a cab, and we will come -back together." - -"Very good, monsieur; but if monsieur needs me, if he wishes me to go -with him----" - -"It isn't necessary; be at the place I have mentioned at five o'clock." - -The count walked away, and Georget did not hesitate long as to what he -would do. In a few moments he was on the boulevard, and he walked in the -direction of the Chateau d'Eau. It was flower market day in that -quarter, the weather was magnificent, and there was a great concourse of -dealers and promenaders. Georget congratulated himself upon that -circumstance, which would enable him to keep out of sight in the crowd, -and not be seen; for he wished to see Violette, and he wished also to -see her without her suspecting it. - -On approaching the place where the pretty girl kept her booth, Georget -felt his legs tremble and give way under him. His heart beat so -violently that he placed his hand against it, trying to suppress its -throbbing. The poor boy had never been so intensely agitated. He longed, -yet dreaded, to turn his eyes toward the place where he used formerly to -stop so often. At last, taking advantage of a moment when many people -were between him and that spot, he raised his eyes and looked; he saw -Violette, and after that his glance remained fastened upon her. At that -moment indeed, the flower girl, being busily engaged in making bouquets, -was looking at her tray and was paying no attention to the passers-by. - -Violette was as fascinating as ever; but the rosy tinge of her -complexion had almost entirely disappeared, her brow was careworn, and -all her features bore the stamp of melancholy; far from impairing her -beauty, however, it gave a new charm to her whole person. - -Georget instantly observed the change, the pallor which had replaced the -roses that formerly adorned Violette's cheeks; and in a second, twenty -thoughts rushed through his mind. - -"Why that sad, downcast expression?--Why this change, this pallor?--Why, -even while arranging her flowers, does her brow remain pensive and -careworn?--Is she sick?--Is she unhappy?--Who can make her so?--What is -she thinking about at this moment?" - -Georget asked himself all these questions in less than a minute. But the -last was the one of all others which he would have given everything in -the world to be able to answer! Of what was she thinking at that moment? - -Is not that always what a lover asks, when he can observe his mistress -unseen, and when he sees that she is thoughtful? But it is also the -question which most frequently remains unanswered. - -Quite a long time passed and Georget was still in the same spot, with -his eyes fixed upon Violette, who did not see him. More than once the -young man was pushed aside and jostled by the passers-by, by people -carrying flowers. - -"Look out!" they would shout at him; "stand out of the way! let us pass! -Is the fellow stuck to the concrete?" - -But Georget did not stir, he did not even hear, he did not even feel the -jostling; it seemed as if his whole being were concentrated in his eyes, -and as if he only existed through them. - -But he had no choice save to emerge from his trance and to reply, when -he suddenly felt a pair of wiry arms thrown about him, and someone began -to dance up and down in front of him and embrace him, exclaiming the -while: - -"Ah! so here you are, my poor Georget! You're not dead, or melted! How -glad I am! I thought you must be in the canal or in a well, or caught in -a slide in the Montmartre quarries! Let me embrace you, _saperlotte_! -You villain! you brute! to disappear like this and leave your friends in -despair! Let me embrace you!" - -Georget recognized his former comrade, and he felt touched by the joy -Chicotin showed as he gazed at him. - -"Yes, it is I, Chicotin; thanks; so you have not forgotten me?" - -"Forgotten you! what a stupid you are! What does that mean? why should I -have forgotten you? weren't we friends? I should like to know if friends -part like an old pair of breeches, which you never expect to put on -again? Forgotten! why, I've hunted for you in every corner of Paris! -I've been to your house, after asking Mamzelle Violette for your -address, for I didn't know it!" - -"You asked Mamzelle Violette for my address?" - -"To be sure; I had to ask her, to find out." - -"And what did she say when you mentioned me?" - -"Pardi! she told me that you lived on Rue d'Angouleme. I went there, and -I found a tall, thin brute of a concierge who was as drunk as a fool and -fighting with a woman--she must have been his wife, for she called him a -blackguard!" - -"Didn't she say anything else?" - -"The old woman said: 'They've gone away, and we don't know where they -are.'" - -"But Violette--Violette----" - -"The flower girl? Oh! I don't know what's the matter with her, poor -girl, but for sometime past she's been as sad as can be; she never -laughs now, she has changed completely! But bless my soul! perhaps she -was unhappy because she didn't see you any more; you, who used to pass -your days with her, all of a sudden you drop her, without even bidding -her good-bye, so it seems! That's a very nice way to act! If I'd behaved -like that, why it would have been all right! Nobody would have been -surprised, but they'd have said: 'Oh! that Patatras! that's just like -his tricks! Appear and disappear! like Rotomago in the marionette -show.'--But you, Georget, a fellow as polite as you, with the manners of -a solicitor's clerk! Really, I shouldn't have expected it of you." - -While listening to his old comrade, Georget kept his eyes fixed on the -flower girl, who was still arranging her flowers. But there came a -moment when the girl raised her head and turned her eyes in Georget's -direction. He was convinced that she had seen him, and instantly, -dragging Chicotin away, he forced him to leave the boulevard, saying in -a choking voice: - -"Come, come! Let's not stay here; she may have seen me, and I don't want -her to think that I still take pleasure in looking at her, in thinking -about her; she would make sport of me again, and I won't have it. Come, -Chicotin." - -"But, for heaven's sake, look out! How you go! You are dragging me in -front of the omnibuses! If you want to get us run over, I beg to be -excused! I prefer something different! I say, haven't we gone far -enough?--But what is it that you have against Mamzelle Violette? You run -away from her, you who used to be so dead in love with her! I don't -understand it at all! What on earth has the girl done to you?" - -"What has she done to me? She deceived me, she let me believe that she -was virtuous and honest, that she was worthy of my love, in short; but -it wasn't true; and she listened to one of those fine gentlemen who made -love to her, and she went to his room!" - -"She! the pretty flower girl a hussy! Nonsense! It isn't true; I don't -believe it! it's all talk!" - -Georget was impressed by the assurance with which his friend -contradicted him, and in the depths of his heart, he was conscious of a -thrill of the keenest pleasure; then it was his turn to embrace Chicotin -for what he had said; but he simply pressed his hand hard, as he -muttered: - -"You don't believe that of her. Ah, I was like you, I would not believe -it; but if, in your presence, she had refused to deny such statements, -you would be forced to believe! Listen, listen!" - -And Georget gave his friend an exact account of what had happened the -last time that he was on Boulevard du Chateau d'Eau. - -Chicotin listened, shaking his head from time to time like a person who -still doubts what he hears, and when his friend had ceased to speak, he -cried: - -"What does all that prove? That little squint-eyed villain,--and I'll -smash him one of these days,--says a lot of nasty things about a girl -who won't have anything to do with him! If he blackguards like that all -the women who send him about his business, he will have his hands -full." - -"But that Jericourt, that fashionable young man,--alas! he is not ugly, -and you know very well that he made love to Violette!" - -"Well, what then? He wasn't there, was he? He didn't say anything, -confirm anything?" - -"But Violette! Violette! When the little man told her that he had seen -her go into his neighbor's room and come out rumpled and excited, she -didn't say to him: 'You are a liar!'--If it hadn't been true, do you -think that she wouldn't have contradicted that evil-tongued fellow and -confounded him?" - -"Oh, bless my soul! I don't know! You should ask her to explain it all -to you." - -"Ask her to explain--so that she could lie some more to me! Oh! I didn't -need any explanation. Besides, she saw my grief, my despair, and she let -me go away, she didn't say a word to justify herself. Come, Chicotin, do -you still believe her innocent now?" - -"Bless me! yes." - -"Yes? Ah! if I could only think like you! I have been so unhappy since I -have been unable to say everywhere that I love her! She is pale, she is -sad, she is changed, and how can I find out what causes her sadness?" - -"Wait! wait! I see someone yonder who can tell us better than anybody -else the truth of the matter. Look, do you see that young man crossing -the boulevard?" - -"Monsieur Jericourt! It is he! Let me go, Chicotin, I am going to speak -to him." - -"Not much! What will you say to him, I should like to know?" - -"I don't know; but I will force him to tell me if he is Violette's -lover." - -"Force him! Can one force people to tell the truth? It is necessary that -that should come natural to them. Come, let's follow Monsieur Jericourt, -let's not lose sight of him. When we are in a place where there are -fewer people, I'll go to him and speak to him; he knows me. He don't -suspect, however, that on two occasions it was him that I tried to throw -down in front of the flower girl's booth; but then, that was a joke! As -I have told you, I often used to do errands for him--I haven't done any -for some time, I fancy that the funds are low--to his friend, the young -lion Saint-Arthur. There's a fellow who's allowing himself to be -stripped bare by little Dutaillis! What a number one canary he is!" - -"Let us walk along faster, Chicotin; you must speak to him." - -"Never fear, we won't lose sight of him. When the time comes, I'll ask -him, as if it was a matter of no consequence, to tell me the truth about -Mamzelle Violette; I'll tell him that I had an idea of marrying her. -Then why shouldn't he tell me the truth? What interest would the man -have in deceiving me?" - -"What an excellent idea, Chicotin! Yes, yes, you must speak to him; I -will keep out of the way, so as not to seem interested. Oh, go at once! -go and speak to him!" - -"I can't now; he's met someone, he's talking with a gentleman!" - -"What a pity!" - -"It only means a little delay; we will wait, we have plenty of time." - -Monsieur Jericourt, the dramatic author, had in fact fallen in with one -of his confreres, and the gentlemen talked together, sometimes walking a -few steps, then stopping, but continuing their conversation all the -time. This lasted a long while. Georget was in despair, and Chicotin -said: - -"It must be that they are writing a play together; there's one of them -who seems to be acting it, he gesticulates when he talks as if he was on -the stage." - -"They don't act as if they proposed to say good-bye." - -"Well! if it's a play in five acts that they're composing, and if -there's any tableaux in it----" - -"Oh! mon Dieu! now they're going into a cafe! That is the last straw!" - -"What do you expect? We can't prevent those gentlemen from wanting to -take something. Suppose we go into the cafe too and take a _petit -verre?_" - -"No, Monsieur Jericourt might notice us, and then he would see that we -have followed him." - -"You are right, and he wouldn't answer my questions; indeed, it's better -that he shouldn't see you. Well, let's do sentry duty; it's a bore, but -after all, in our business we often do it for others, and we can afford -to be bored on our own account once in a way." - -Jericourt remained more than an hour in the cafe with the person whom he -had met; then they came out, talked again a long while in front of the -cafe, and finally separated. - -"At last!" cried Georget, as they walked along Boulevard Beaumarchais, -which Jericourt had taken. "This time, Chicotin, you mustn't wait before -speaking to this gentleman, until he has met somebody else." - -"No, no; but still, I must choose my place. There are some places where -one can talk better than others. Ah! he is turning into Rue -Pas-de-la-Mule. I'll tackle him on Place Royale.--Yes, he's turning to -the left. Wait here for me, Georget." - -Chicotin ran after his customer, and Georget remained on the boulevard. -Five minutes passed, which seemed an eternity to the young lover; then, -as his comrade did not return, Georget went down the street to Place -Royale, looked about in all directions, and finally discovered Chicotin -under an arcade, talking to Jericourt, who listened with a most -contemptuous expression. Georget would have liked to hear what was being -said; he walked a few steps toward them, but Chicotin saw him and made a -very energetic sign which meant: "Clear out." - -Georget took up a position farther away; he leaned against a pillar, and -waited, putting his head out from time to time to see if his friend was -coming. At last he saw Chicotin walking slowly toward him, his troubled -expression denoting anything but good news. Georget ran to meet his -comrade, crying out: - -"Well! what is his answer? Tell me at once; I have been dying of -impatience for an hour!" - -"His answer? It wasn't worth while following him so far to listen to -that!" - -"Ah! I understand; Violette is guilty!" - -"Well! according to what that gentleman says, he triumphed over the -flower girl. When I said to him: 'Be kind enough, monsieur, to tell me -something about Mamzelle Violette's virtue, because I know someone who -desires to marry her,' he began to laugh in a sneering way, saying: 'Her -virtue! the flower girl's virtue! Ah! this is charming! delicious!' and -then a lot of stuff that I couldn't understand at all. However, I think -he saw you, for he added: 'It's for your little friend that you are -asking these questions.'--I replied: 'No, monsieur, it's for -myself.'--At that he began to laugh again! How mad that made me, and how -I would have liked to hit him, but that wouldn't have helped matters at -all! Then he said: 'Only idiots believe in the virtue of these girls who -make such a parade of prudery and cruelty. Violette came to my room of -her own free will, and when a pretty girl comes to my room, everybody -knows what that means; my reputation is established. Say that to the -clown who is in love with her.'--And with that he turned on his heel and -began to sing. Ah! that fellow is a miserable villain all the same, and -I don't advise him to give me any more errands to do, or I'll take pains -to make a mistake! I'll carry his notes to the husbands instead of -giving them to their wives, and we'll see if that will make him -laugh!--Well, Georget, you are unhappy, you long to cry! Come, come! -deuce take it! Everything hasn't come to an end! You must be a man, you -must show that you are no longer a little brat! As if a man should pass -his life whining about a girl who has deceived him! Why, if we should -cry every time a woman plays tricks on us, men would have red noses all -the time, and that wouldn't be pretty. And then, after all, the girl -never made you any promise, you told me so yourself; she was free to -give her heart where she chose!" - -Georget wiped his eyes, faltering: - -"Yes, you are right, Chicotin. Violette was free, and I have no right to -blame her. I am a great fool to grieve so, for after all you have told -me nothing new; but you see, when I saw this morning how pale and -changed she was, I imagined--oh! a lot more foolish things; and then you -yourself told me that I was wrong to suspect her." - -"Why, I would have put my hand in the fire over that girl's virtue! That -was my idea of her!" - -"Oh! I don't blame you, Chicotin; on the contrary, I love you for it." - -"And where are you living now? You've left Paris." - -"Yes, I am at Nogent-sur-Marne, on a beautiful place, belonging to -Monsieur Malberg, a man who has been very kind to my mother and me. We -want nothing there; on the contrary, we are very fortunate." - -"Do wipe your eyes; come, don't cry like that!" - -"I am done, I won't cry any more; I am going back to Nogent, and I shall -never come to Paris again; it makes me too unhappy to see her, and to -think that I mustn't love her. No, I shall not come here again. I swore -that I wouldn't, when I went away before; but I will keep my oath now." - -"And you will do well. I will go to see you at Nogent--that ain't -against the law, is it?" - -"Oh, no! do come; but you mustn't mention her to me, you mustn't tell me -anything about her; I don't want to know what she is doing." - -"Never fear! _bigre!_ I won't be the one to tell you things again that -make you feel so bad. Come, wipe your nose and don't think any more -about her. Mon Dieu! there's no lack of pretty girls, they're a kind of -seed that grows everywhere, like weeds; you can find them in the suburbs -as well as in Paris; I'm sure that there are plenty at Nogent, but I'll -bet that you haven't looked for them yet?" - -"No, I haven't thought of it." - -"We'll look for them together, and I will hunt up one able to make you -forget all the flower girls in Paris." - -"Yes, I will love another, I will love several others!" - -"That's the talk; you must love 'em in bunches! In that way, if there's -one of them who plays tricks on you, you can console yourself right away -with another." - -"You will come, won't you, Chicotin? you promise to come? But not to -talk to me about her. What difference does it make to me now whether she -is pale or red, whether she is sad or merry? Mon Dieu! it's a matter of -indifference to me now; I snap my fingers at her, I don't propose to -take any further interest in her. When a girl behaves as she has done, -she doesn't deserve anybody's interest, does she, Chicotin?" - -"No, no! blow your nose again. I'll go to see you, that's agreed; you -see, I'm my own master; to be sure, I have my gouty gentleman, who gives -me something to do sometimes, but not every day; I haven't been able to -find the Baronne de Grangeville, but that isn't my fault. By the way, -some time ago weren't you also looking for somebody for your Monsieur -Malberg? It was Violette who told me that one day when----" - -"Violette! Violette! Did she mention me to you?" - -"Ah! what a stupid turkey I am! Here I am talking about her now! I wish -I'd bitten my tongue out!" - -"Mon Dieu! it isn't a crime, after all, Chicotin. Besides, it must have -been long ago, when she loved me a little, when she was fond of me; for -she was, I am perfectly sure of it." - -"Well, it's all over now! You were looking for somebody, that's all! and -that was why we never met." - -"That is true, but I looked in vain, I could not find that Monsieur de -Roncherolle in Paris." - -"Monsieur de--what name did you say?" - -"Monsieur de Roncherolle." - -"Well, on my word! that is a good one! Is that the man you looked for so -long in vain?" - -"Yes, can it be that you know where to find him?" - -"Do I know! why, it's my gouty gentleman; he set me to find a lady. Ah! -he looks to me like an old rake! but swell, and generous, though it -seems he's ruined." - -"And this gentleman's name is De Roncherolle?" - -"Exactly; and I had a bouquet to carry from him--indeed, he bought it of -Violette." - -"Of Violette?" - -"Confound it! I am getting to be as talkative as a magpie, and as stupid -as a kettle!" - -"Does that gentleman know Violette too?" - -"Why, no, he knows her just as everybody may know a person who sells -flowers; he bought a bouquet of her and paid for it, that's all." - -"And his name is De Roncherolle?" - -"Yes, yes; how many times must I tell you that?" - -"And he lives----" - -"In a small furnished lodging house on Rue de Bretagne, in the Marais; I -don't know the number, but you can find it easily enough." - -"Thanks, Chicotin, thanks! At last I am going to be able to be of some -service to Monsieur Malberg; he was so anxious to find that gentleman; I -must go at once and tell him. But mon Dieu! it just occurs to me--what -time is it now?" - -"The clock on Saint-Paul's just struck six." - -"Six o'clock! and monsieur told me to be at the corner of the Boulevard -and Rue d'Angouleme at five." - -"It will hardly be possible for you to be there." - -"No matter, we must run; come, Chicotin, quick!" - -The desire to please his benefactor had banished from his mind for a -moment the pretty flower girl's image. He ran at the top of his speed to -the place which the count had appointed, and Chicotin followed him, -saying from time to time: - -"Sapristi! we are going at a lively pace! If a horse dealer should see -us, he would enter us for the races on the Champs-de-Mars; we would beat -all the ponies!" - -The two young men arrived at the place appointed, but Georget could not -see his master. - -"Wait here," he said to his friend; "I am going to our house, and I -shall be able to find out there if Monsieur Malberg has gone back; -wait." - -Georget went to the house where he used to live. He found Baudoin's -wife, who by an extraordinary chance was sober, and who said to him: - -"Monsieur Malberg came here to ask if you were here, but it was -three-quarters of an hour ago; he was in a cab, and he didn't even get -out; he probably started for Nogent right away." - -Georget returned to his comrade. - -"Monsieur went to the house to look for me, then he went away; of course -it wasn't his place to wait for me. So I must start at once, and I will -soon be there." - -"Are you going on foot?" - -"Yes, I can go faster than the public carriages." - -"I will be your escort as far as Vincennes, but on condition that we -don't run so fast as we did just now. Now that your master has gone -ahead, it won't make any difference whether you arrive half an hour -sooner or later; and if he scolds you, you have something to tell him -that will restore his good humor." - -"Oh, he never scolds.--Come, Chicotin, let us start." - -"What on earth are you doing? We are on Boulevard du Temple, and you are -starting off toward Porte-Saint-Martin to go to Vincennes!" - -"Ah! you are right; I was thinking of something else, and I made a -mistake." - -"All right; come, file left, and let's shake out our legs; it's lucky -I'm here to start you on the right road." - - - - -XXVII - -A RESEMBLANCE - - -The Comte de Brevanne had a reason for going to Paris, but he did not -wish to confide to anyone the purpose of his journey; having completed -his visit, he was driven, about five o'clock, to Boulevard du Temple, -near Rue d'Angouleme, and there he looked about for Georget, who, intent -upon following Monsieur Jericourt, had forgotten his appointment with -the count. The latter, without alighting from his carriage, drove to his -city home, where the concierge informed him that Georget had not -called. - -"I can guess where he probably is, and what has made him forget the -appointment," thought Monsieur de Brevanne. "Driver, take me to the -flower market on Boulevard Saint-Martin." - -The driver whipped up his horse and the count said to himself: - -"Here is an opportunity to see this girl who is so pretty, and who has -turned my poor Georget's head; I will wager that he is within a few -steps of the flower girl's booth, and that he can't make up his mind to -go away. A boy loves so earnestly at eighteen! and this poor fellow's -heart is too soft; he will be unhappy for a long while if I do not -succeed in curing him. But how? First of all, I must find out whether -this girl is really a bad girl." - -The count left his carriage at the corner of the boulevard, and entered -the flower market, saying: - -"How shall I know Mademoiselle Violette? Why, of course, from Georget, -whom I shall probably see hovering about her booth." - -And Monsieur de Brevanne walked along, examining all the flower dealers. -He saw some who were old and others who were not pretty. Beauty is a -rarer thing than is generally supposed. Go into a theatre, and turn your -opera glass in all directions: sometimes out of six hundred women in the -audience, you will not find a single one who is really beautiful. Let us -not be surprised at the vast number of conquests that pretty women make, -for their number is very, very small. - -The count walked on, not surprised at not seeing Georget, as there -seemed to be no fascinating flower girls. But as he drew near the -Chateau d'Eau, a lovely face instantly attracted his eyes. It belonged -to a flower girl, and she was probably the one he sought. Georget was -not there, however; but the girl was so lovely that it was impossible -that there could be another among the dealers in flowers that could be -compared with her. - -Monsieur de Brevanne stopped in front of the flower girl, and gazed at -her with an interest which became deeper with every moment; as he -scrutinized her features, he was conscious of an emotion which he could -not comprehend at first; the girl reminded him of someone; he searched -his memory for a moment, but it did not take long to decide whose -portrait he saw in the girl. - -"What an extraordinary resemblance!" said the count to himself, his eyes -still fastened upon Violette's face, for it was her booth at which he -had stopped. "This girl has all Lucienne's features, but Lucienne's -features when I was paying court to her, when she was not my wife; only, -Lucienne had a merry expression, a smile always on her lips, and this -girl has a melancholy look, her brow is careworn; but probably she is -not always thus. Is it a delusion of my senses? No, that profile, that -nose, the outlines of the face--it is impossible for two persons to -resemble each other more closely. And is this the Violette with whom -Georget is in love? It must be she; but no matter, I must make -certain." - -The count walked to the flower girl's booth, picked up a bunch of roses -and asked the price. Violette replied, and her voice made a profound -impression upon the count, for that too was his wife's. He bent so -piercing a glance upon the girl that she was confused and lowered her -lovely eyes. - -"I beg pardon, mademoiselle," said the count, as he paid for his roses; -"but perhaps you can assist me in finding the person for whom I am -looking; it is a young flower girl named Violette." - -"Violette--why, I am Violette, monsieur." - -"Ah! are you she?" - -"There is nobody else of that name in this market." - -"Oh! I believe you; indeed, I suspected that you must be the one." - -"What do you wish of me, monsieur?" - -"It will seem strange to you, mademoiselle, but I was looking for you in -order to find another person." - -"I don't understand you, monsieur." - -"I will explain myself: I have with me now, at my place in the country, -a young fellow who used to be a messenger, and whose stand was on this -boulevard." - -Violette, who instantly flushed crimson, exclaimed: - -"You must mean Georget, monsieur." - -"Yes, his name is Georget." - -"In that case, monsieur, you must be the gentleman of whom he has told -me so much good: that Monsieur Malberg, who was so kind to him when his -mother was ill, who gave him money, and----" - -"I am Monsieur Malberg," replied the count, hastening to put an end to -the girl's eulogium; "but it's Georget, not I, of whom we are speaking; -he came to Paris with me to-day, and he made an appointment with me at -five o'clock, to return to Nogent, where my country house is. I am -surprised at his lack of punctuality, and I thought that I might find -him at this market. You have not seen him, mademoiselle?" - -"I beg pardon, monsieur, I did see him for a moment, but it was more -than two hours ago. He was over there, opposite me; I don't know whether -he had been there long, but when I looked at him, when he saw that I saw -him, he instantly disappeared, and I haven't seen him since then." - -"And he didn't speak to you?" - -"Oh, no! he doesn't speak to me now, monsieur." - -As she said this, Violette's voice changed, she heaved a deep sigh, and -her eyes filled with tears. - -The count was touched; as he listened to the girl, he did not tire of -gazing at her with a close scrutiny which would have alarmed her if she -had not been at that moment engrossed by the thought of Georget. - -"Is your mother still living, mademoiselle?" the count suddenly asked; -and Violette, surprised by a question which had no connection with -Georget, faltered: - -"No, monsieur, no, I have no mother.--Did Georget tell you that he knew -me, monsieur?" - -"Yes, yes, he told me that.--Is it long since you lost her?" - -"Why, monsieur, it is several weeks now since I have seen him; so he is -in the country with you, is he, monsieur?" - -"Georget? yes, he is with me. But I was talking about your mother; I was -asking you if you lost her when you were young?" - -"My mother? why, I never knew her, monsieur; I am a poor girl, deserted -by her parents; and I owe the position that I have to-day to a -kind-hearted woman who sold flowers on this same spot." - -"Ah! I understand," replied the count, thinking that the girl had been -brought up at the Foundling Hospital. "I beg your pardon, I am sorry -that I asked you that question; I should be terribly distressed to cause -you pain; I must seem very inquisitive to you, but your features remind -me strongly of someone whom I once knew very well." - -"Oh! you haven't offended me, monsieur; I ask nothing better than to -answer you; I was so anxious to know you, since I knew how kind you had -been to Georget." - -"How old are you?" - -"I am eighteen and a half, monsieur; I shall be nineteen in three -months, I believe." - -"That is strange!" - -"Is Georget very happy at your place in the country, monsieur? Does he -never come to Paris, he who formerly could not pass a day without -walking on the boulevard? To be sure, in those days he used to speak to -me, he used to talk with me, and I had to scold him very often, to make -him go to work; and now he never looks at me, or else he has such a -contemptuous expression, and all because someone told him something -about me--as if he should have believed it! Ah! if anyone told me that -Georget had stolen, or that he had done anything mean, would I believe -it?--I beg your pardon, monsieur, but does he ever speak to you of me? -Do you think he has forgotten me altogether?" - -For several moments the count had not been listening to the flower girl; -he was preoccupied, absorbed by his memories, and he did not hear what -she said to him. At last, abruptly driving away the thoughts that beset -him, he exclaimed: - -"I am a madman! just because of a resemblance, such as nature often -produces, I must needs imagine--Adieu, mademoiselle, adieu! once more, -pray excuse my curiosity." - -And the count hastened away, without answering the last questions of the -pretty flower girl, who was more depressed than ever, as she looked -after him, saying to herself: - -"He wouldn't answer what I asked him about Georget; perhaps he told him -not to. To be despised, when one has nothing to blame oneself for! that -is horrible! and yet, I feel in the bottom of my heart that the main -thing is to have one's conscience clear. I have nothing to reproach -myself for, and some day they will reproach themselves for having made -me so wretchedly unhappy." - -The count entered his carriage and started for Nogent. But on the way, -his mind was full of that extraordinary resemblance, and the young -flower girl's face constantly returned to his thoughts. - -In vain did Georget make all possible haste, he did not reach Nogent -until fully two hours after the count. Chicotin left his comrade on the -outskirts of Vincennes, panting for breath, exhausted and dying with -thirst, because his friend would not consent to enter a wine-shop for -refreshment, as that would have delayed them. He shook hands with -Georget, saying to him: - -"My dear boy, I am very glad I came with you, but I've had enough; if I -went any farther I should have the pip, and I believe I should break in -two. Deuce take it! you have a way of walking that leaves cabs and -omnibuses nowhere. Au revoir; I'll call and say good-day to you at -Nogent, but I shall go all alone, and take my own time walking; I prefer -that way." - -Georget presented himself before his master, decidedly shamefaced; he -was afraid of being scolded because he was not on hand punctually at the -place which his patron had appointed; but the count simply said to him: - -"As I didn't find you at the place I mentioned, I concluded that you had -forgotten the time at the flower market, with the pretty flower girl, -and I went there to look for you." - -"You went there, monsieur? Did you see Violette?" - -"Yes, I saw her and talked with her." - -"You talked with her? Ah! I didn't speak to her! With one of my old -comrades, named Chicotin, who wouldn't believe that Violette had behaved -badly, I followed that Monsieur Jericourt, the man to whose rooms -she--she went; and as Chicotin knows that man, he begged him to tell us -the truth about the flower girl. As I expected, he confirmed what I had -already heard." - -"It's a pity, for that girl is very interesting, and I discovered in her -features a resemblance to a person who was very pretty also--long ago!" - -"Oh! isn't Violette lovely, monsieur? I told you so! And--excuse me if I -ask you a question--but what did she have to say to monsieur?" - -"She talked about you, my boy." - -"About me! about me! why on earth did she speak of me, when she doesn't -love me and has made me so unhappy? Why does she think of me, when -another man has her love, when she did not care for mine, which was so -true, so sincere? Is it to make me unhappy again? is it to make me still -more desperate, that she speaks of me? I don't want her to talk about -me, I will tell her not to!" - -"Come, come, be calm, Georget; you are not reasonable, my friend; and I -think that I shall do well not to let you go to Paris again." - -"Forgive me, monsieur; you are right to scold me.--Mon Dieu! to think -that I hurried back so fast, because I had good news to tell monsieur, -and here I have forgotten all about it and haven't told him! It is all -Violette's fault, you see, monsieur; she upsets my wits, she makes me -forget everything; it is worse than sickness, monsieur!--And she talked -about me?" - -"Well, Georget, as you have thought of it at last, what is the news that -you have to tell me?" - -"Monsieur, I haven't forgotten that sometime ago you employed me to find -the residence in Paris of a person whom you wished to find; it was a -Monsieur de Roncherolle, wasn't it, monsieur?" - -At the name of Roncherolle, the count's face instantly lighted up, and -he seized Georget's arm, exclaiming: - -"Yes, yes, it was he! Well, go on--what do you know?" - -"I know that gentleman's address, at last." - -"You know it?" - -"Yes, monsieur.--Mon Dieu! if I had happened to mention it sooner to -Chicotin, my old comrade, I should have known it a long while ago. He is -that gentleman's messenger, he works for him." - -"And his address?" - -"Monsieur de Roncherolle lives on Rue de Bretagne, in the Marais, in a -furnished lodging house. He doesn't know the number, but as the street -is short, it will be easy to find." - -"Rue de Bretagne, in the Marais,--a furnished lodging house?" - -"Yes, monsieur, that is right." - -"So I have found him at last!" murmured the count, intensely excited. - -"If I should go this evening--but no, it is too late. He would not admit -me perhaps. But to-morrow morning--yes, I will see him to-morrow." - -"What could Violette have had to say to you about me, monsieur?" -faltered Georget, walking toward his master; but he simply pointed to -the door and said: "Leave me," in a tone which permitted no reply. - -Poor Georget left the room, disconcerted, and saying to himself: - -"It is strange! I thought I should make him very happy by giving him -that gentleman's address; but it seems to have produced a contrary -effect." - - - - -XXVIII - -THE EDUCATION OF A PARROT - - -Let us return to Monsieur de Roncherolle, whom we left in his little -lodging house in the Marais. - -When the gout left him at rest, that gentleman usually left his room -about noon, and did not return until midnight, sometimes later; always -cursing the dimly-lighted staircase, his wretchedly-kept apartment, and -the servants who performed their duties inefficiently; and he ordinarily -finished his complaints by saying: - -"But, after all, as I can't hire any better lodgings, I must make the -best of it, I must be a philosopher. I can no longer attract women, I -have squandered my money, and with what little I have left I still -manage to lose at cards. Such infernal luck! Louis XIV was right when he -said to the Marechal de Villeroi: 'At our age, a man has no luck!'--Ah! -ten thousand devils! what would he have said if he had had the gout?" - -But one morning, Monsieur de Roncherolle, finding that he was unable to -put his left foot to the floor, was compelled to remain in his room, -reading a great deal to pass the time away, and sleeping when the gout -would allow. - -Stretched out in the so-called armchair _a la Voltaire,_ with his -diseased foot on a cushion and wrapped in flannel, Monsieur de -Roncherolle had been sleeping a few moments when a shrill, piercing -shriek and a number of words uttered in a voice like Mr. Punch's, woke -him abruptly. Then an ordinary human voice, much too loud for that of a -neighbor, however, uttered these words: - -"Very good, Coco, very good; you have plenty of voice, my friend; I know -perfectly well that you can talk, for I heard you at your owner's cafe, -and that is why I bought you. Now the question is to learn what I want -you to say, and you will learn it, won't you, Coco?" - -"Good-day, Monsieur Brillant!" - -"Good-day, my friend, good-day! you say that very well; but I am not -Monsieur Brillant, I am Saint-Arthur, De Saint-Arthur." - -"Good-day, Monsieur Brillant!" - -"Come, come, Coco, that isn't it; now listen: Dutaillis is lovely! -applaud, clap Zizi!--There, that's what you must say; it's a little long -perhaps, but you can learn it half at a time. Attention: Dutaillis is -lovely!" - -"Good-day, Monsieur Brillant!" - -"_Sapristi!_ you will make me angry, Coco." - -"Cre coquin! you make me sick! oh! what a fool!" - -"Aha! he swears; you swear! all right; that is quite amusing, but it -isn't enough for me. Dutaillis is lovely." - -"Oh! what a fool!" - -"Applaud, clap Zizi!" - -"Good-day, Monsieur Brillant!" - -"Corbleu! morbleu! I will swear, too, if you make me angry." - -"You make me sick, Monsieur Brillant!" - -"Dutaillis is lovely!" - -"You make me sick!" - -"Applaud, clap Zizi!" - -Roncherolle, who had been obliged to listen to this dialogue, not -without cursing and swearing at his new neighbor, interposed at this -point by striking the partition with his cane, and shouting at the top -of his lungs: - -"Ten thousand thunders! ten thousand millions of devils! is this going -to last much longer? Haven't you nearly finished, my dear neighbor and -Master Parrot? Monsieur Coco and Mademoiselle Dutaillis! do you know -that I am the one who will clap you, if you go on braying as you are -doing? and I should have done it long ago if I could have moved!" - -These words imposed silence upon the dandified little Saint-Arthur and -his parrot; for it was in fact the young dandy, Jericourt's friend and -the lover of the little actress of Boulevard du Temple, who had become -within a few days Monsieur de Roncherolle's neighbor; the young man's -extravagance had forced him to leave very abruptly a charming little -apartment on Rue de Breda, which he had furnished in the very latest -style. But because he gratified every day the expensive whims of -Mademoiselle Zizi, Saint-Arthur had forgotten to pay his furniture -dealer and his upholsterer; those gentlemen lost patience, demanded -their money, then set the bailiffs to work; whereupon our former -travelling salesman consulted his wallet, and found that he had only -eight thousand francs remaining, whereas he owed eleven thousand. He -said to himself: "If I stay in this apartment, they will take my money -away from me; I prefer to abandon my furniture to my creditors; they can -almost pay themselves with it, and I shall still have what remains to -enjoy myself with. I will tell Zizi that I have moved to the Marais for -family reasons, in order to be nearer an aunt whose heir I am. However, -it makes little difference to her where I live, provided that I still -take her to dinner at a restaurant, and provided that I am generous to -her." - -As a result of this reasoning, Beau Saint-Arthur had hired an apartment -in the house on the Rue de Bretagne. It was on the same floor as -Monsieur de Roncherolle's, and it was three times as large; and as the -young dandy retained there, as everywhere, the habit of making a show; -as he dressed three times a day; as he ordered dainty breakfasts, drank -champagne, and carried a cane made of an elephant's tusk, the people of -the house had the highest esteem for him, looked upon him as an -important personage, and would gladly have exchanged a dozen tenants -like the gouty gentleman for a single one like Monsieur de Saint-Arthur. - -"He has shut up at last! that's very lucky!" said Roncherolle to -himself, stretching himself out in his reclining chair. "Parbleu! I seem -to have a new neighbor as to whom I must felicitate the master of this -house. If that had gone on, I couldn't possibly have stood it. The man -must be an idiot to try to teach the parrot such stuff.--I shall meet -him soon enough." - -And Roncherolle yawned, closed his eyes, and was dozing again when -suddenly the noise began anew beside him. - -"Dutaillis is lovely! Come now! Dutaillis is lovely!" - -"Good-day, Monsieur Brillant!" - -"You beast!--Applaud, clap Zizi!" - -"Zi--Zi--Zan--Zan--Monsieur Brillant. You make me sick!" - -"And so do you me, you beast!" - -"Par la mordieu! and you're a beast yourself!" cried Roncherolle, -sitting up in his chair and grasping his cane again and hammering on the -partition and on the floor. "Ah! you have the effrontery to keep on -with your parrot lessons! Dare to begin again, and I will twist your -pupil's neck, and throw his master out of the window! What a house! What -service they have! Here I've been pounding and ringing for an hour, and -no one comes! I say there! waiter! chambermaid!" - -Again Saint-Arthur and his parrot held their peace. But the little dandy -also jerked all the bell-cords that he could find in the three rooms of -which his apartment consisted. - -At that jangling of bells, the waiter and the chambermaid hastened up to -their tenants on the third floor. The chambermaid no longer entered -Roncherolle's room, because he had several times told her to go and wash -herself, and then to go to the scrubber's. The waiter, who was called -the "young man," and who had worked in the house for more than twenty -years, was probably quite fifty-five years old. He was a man of medium -height, but endowed with a very coquettish _embonpoint_, and a prominent -abdomen, which, however, did not prevent him from having a wrinkled -face, and a small wig which did not come down to his ears, and which he -was constantly occupied in jerking to the right or to the left. Having -never worn any other costume than a pair of short trousers and a small -round jacket, like the waiters at restaurants, Beauvinet--that was the -"young man's" name--always wore a white apron, one half of which he -turned up to conceal the other half, when it had ceased to be spotlessly -clean. All in all, Beauvinet was more presentable than the chambermaid -and it was he who answered Roncherolle's bell when he rang. - -So Beauvinet presented himself before the gouty gentleman, his apron -turned up, and pulling his wig over his right ear, which necessarily -caused the left side to rise; but one ordinarily obeys the most urgent -need, and it was only on extraordinary occasions that Beauvinet pulled -both sides of his wig at once; even then he dared not do it except with -great precaution, because one day when he indulged in that manoeuvre, -he had heard an ominous cracking on the top of his head, as if his wig -were about to be transformed into a crown; and the perquisites of his -position were too small to allow him to purchase a new wig. - -"Monsieur rang, monsieur knocked, monsieur called, I believe?" said -Beauvinet, showing his bloated and wrinkled face. - -"Sacrebleu! yes, I did ring and I did knock; I would have set the house -on fire if there had been any fire on the hearth." - -"Fire! mon Dieu! is monsieur very cold? Why, it is warm----" - -"Hold your tongue! and answer." - -"Why, monsieur----" - -"And try to let that shocking wig of yours alone; it annoys me to see -you always jerking that sorry thing." - -"Why, monsieur----" - -"Silence! Who is it that lives here, in this apartment next to me? Is it -a new neighbor that I have there?" - -"Yes, monsieur, that fine apartment has only been let a week." - -"To whom?" - -"To a very fashionable, a very distinguished young man, who dresses as -if he went to the opera every day, and who spends money----" - -"Ah! I understand why you call him very fashionable; what is the man's -name?" - -"Monsieur Alfred de Saint-Arthur." - -"_Bigre!_ that's a magnificent stage name! no one ever has such names -except in farces or at the Gymnase." - -"Beg pardon, monsieur, I don't understand." - -"You are not obliged to. Listen, Beauvinet: your Monsieur Saint-Arthur, -or Saint-Alfred, no matter which, has behaved very well for a week, as I -didn't know that I had a neighbor; but why in the devil has he taken it -into his head to have a parrot to-day, and to teach him to talk?" - -"Beg pardon, monsieur, but it isn't a parrot that the gentleman brought -home this morning, it is a caca--a cato--mon Dieu! he told me the -name----" - -"A cockatoo, no doubt?" - -"Yes, monsieur, that's the name; he is a fine creature, I tell you, with -a thing on his head so that you'd swear he's a turkey with his comb." - -"It belongs to the family of parrots. Well, this fellow and his bird -make a frightful racket, which prevents me from sleeping; and when one -has the gout, when one is in pain, one has no comfort except in sleep. I -lost my temper too much just now, perhaps, but do you go from me and -tell my neighbor that I am confined to my room by this infernal disease, -and that I beg him, out of regard for my plight, to be kind enough not -to give lessons to his bird so long as I am obliged to keep my room; he -can be certain that I shall go out as soon as I am able to walk, and -then he may pour out his heart to his bird at his leisure. If this -Monsieur de Saint-Arthur is a decent man and has any breeding, he will -comply with my request; if not--we will see.--You understand, Beauvinet? -Now go, and let your wig alone." - -While this was taking place in Monsieur de Roncherolle's room, -Josephine, the chambermaid, had answered Saint-Arthur's bell. - -"What does this mean, girl?" he asked her; "isn't a man free to do what -he pleases in his own room, in your house? When I pay cash, and I -believe I do pay cash, can't I amuse myself by teaching sentences, droll -remarks, to my cockatoo?" - -"I should say so, monsieur! who would prevent you, pray? Certainly, -monsieur is master in his own room; and he can do whatever comes into -his head, without having anyone else interfere; and we are too flattered -to have monsieur for a tenant, and monsieur must see that we come at -once as soon as he rings." - -"In that case, girl, why does a person, who evidently lives on this same -landing, venture to knock on the wall, to yell like a deaf man, to swear -and to threaten, when I am teaching Coco to talk? I bought the bird with -no other purpose; as soon as he can talk well, I expect to present him -to an actress, a friend of mine who adores me; and I do not propose to -stop educating him because of a neighbor." - -"What, monsieur! that gouty old fool in the next room had the face to -call and knock? Oh! that don't surprise me, that man ain't afraid to do -anything. Such a wretched tenant! how I wish he would leave us! he -complains of everything in the house. To listen to him, you would think -that he had always lived in chateaux; but you mustn't pay any attention -to him, monsieur; and above all things, don't put yourself out. In the -first place, you hire an apartment three times dearer than his, -consequently you have the right to make three times as much noise." - -"That reasoning strikes me as mathematical; but what sort of man is this -neighbor of mine?" - -"What sort of man? Bless my soul! he's the kind that has the gout; he -growls and swears and yells; he's mad because he can't go out; and I -have an idea that he'd like to raise the deuce still, although he's too -old for that now; but he can't move, and that makes him angry." - -"What! this neighbor of mine is old and helpless, and he dares to -threaten me! Upon my word! that is too funny; it is really amusing! I -believe that the wisest way is to laugh at him." - -"Oh, yes! monsieur; but if you want me to go and speak to the old -grumbler----" - -"No, no, my dear, it isn't necessary; I don't need any intermediary in -this sort of thing; I know how to handle it myself. Go, go; we will -arrange matters with the neighbor." - -And the dandified little Saint-Arthur, overjoyed to learn that his -neighbor was old and ill, drew himself up and dismissed the chambermaid, -pacing the floor of his room with a lordly swagger. - -The servant had not been gone two minutes when Beauvinet knocked lightly -at the door, then opened it and entered Saint-Arthur's room, saying: - -"May I come in?" - -"What is it now? what do you want of me?" asked the young dandy, -scrutinizing Beauvinet's wrinkled face. - -"Monsieur, it's me, Beauvinet." - -"You! I don't know you." - -"No, because Josephine asked the privilege of blacking monsieur's boots; -but I also belong to the house." - -"In the first place, my dear fellow, nobody blacks my boots, because I -only wear patent leathers; and they are never blacked; that was a stupid -remark of yours; go on." - -"I was saying to monsieur that I belonged in the house." - -"What are you in the house?" - -"I am the young man, monsieur." - -"Ah! you are the young man, are you? how long have you been the young -man?" - -"More than twenty years, monsieur." - -"You are an old young man then?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"Well, what do you want of me?" - -"Monsieur, your neighbor in the next room, Monsieur de Roncherolle, sent -me." - -"Aha! it was the old fellow in the next room who sent you? Indeed! I am -interested to know what message this gentleman who doesn't like parrots -sends me. He sent you to apologize to me, I suppose?" - -"Yes, monsieur, yes; the gentleman told me to tell you that he knew he -lost his temper too much just now, that it was the fault of the -condition he's in." - -"Ah! he admits it; that's lucky; it was time!" - -"And then, as he has the gout, and as he would like to sleep all the -time, the gentleman told me to ask you not to teach your cockatoo so -long as he's sick; but as soon as he goes out, then you can play with -your bird some more." - -"Upon my word, this is too much! I say, is this old fellow a downright -idiot? I mustn't teach Coco to speak during the day, because my -gentleman wants to sleep! Why, when a person wants to sleep all the -time, he should go and live with mountain rats. And he thinks that I am -going to gratify him----" - -"You understand, monsieur, I am simply repeating what he told me to tell -you, being the young man of the house. What shall I say to the gentleman -from you?" - -"Nothing. I will take my answer myself; yes, this gouty old fellow shall -see me, he shall know whom he is dealing with; for it is time to put an -end to all this nonsense." - -"Ah! monsieur means himself to see his neighbor?" - -"Yes, young man. I will teach the fellow a thing or two! So I must not -instruct my parrot except when that gentleman has gone out! that is -delicious! it is worth putting on the stage! I will tell it to Zizi, and -she will have a good laugh.--Go, young man; I have no further need of -you." - -Saint-Arthur cast a glance at his mirror, to see that nothing was -lacking in his costume, strove to assume a martial air, and when he had -achieved it, took his pretty ivory cane and went to his neighbor's room. -Roncherolle was trying again to sleep; he was on the point of -succeeding, when he heard the door on the landing open and close -violently; he always left it unlocked, so that people could come in -without his having to get up. - -"Who's there? Who in the devil is making that racket?" cried the sick -man, jumping up. "Everybody seems bent on preventing me from sleeping -to-day! Is that the way to shut a door?" - -"Apparently it is my way of shutting one," said Saint-Arthur, entering -the room with his hat on, and walking toward Roncherolle without even -bowing to him. The invalid opened his eyes and began to scrutinize the -personage who had entered his presence in that unceremonious way. - -"You stare at me with an expression of surprise, Monsieur le Dormeur! To -be sure, you don't know me. I will begin by telling you that my name is -Alfred de Saint-Arthur, and that I live here beside you, in a very -pretty apartment, which does not resemble this; in fact, that I am the -master or the owner of the cockatoo which you heard just now." - -"I suspected as much; just from looking at you, I could have guessed -that you were the master of the parrot; for master's the word, as you -teach him his tricks." - -"Ah! very pretty! monsieur is pleased to jest, I believe. Well, we will -have a laugh; I came for that purpose. I say, Monsieur de la -Marmotte--for a man who wants to sleep all the time may properly be -classed with the marmottes--I say, old fellow, you sent someone to me to -tell me not to teach to talk the rare bird that I possess; the nasal -tones of that creature bore you, fatigue you; he prevents you from going -to by-by. That is most distressing, and I am really distressed by it. -But, instead of ceasing my lessons to Coco, I propose to give them to -him from morning to night, if I please. I have a right to do it! I am in -my own apartment; and if you venture to hammer and knock on the -partition again, to make me stop, I warn you that it will end badly for -you, _sacrebleu_! because, deuce take it! I am not patient, and -_morbleu_! and----" - -Here Saint-Arthur paused, because his neighbor was eyeing him in such a -peculiar way that it began to take away his self-possession. - -"Have you finished?" asked Roncherolle, rolling his chair nearer to -Saint-Arthur. - -"Why, yes, I believe that I have said all that I had to say." - -"Then it is my turn. In the first place, where did you think you were -going, when you came in here?" - -"Where did I think I was going? that's a funny question! Why, I thought -that I could not have made a mistake; I knew that I was going to my -neighbor's room." - -"No, monsieur, when you came in here, you evidently thought that you -were going into a stable, for you didn't bow and you kept your hat on -your head." - -"Oh! that is possible, monsieur, and----" - -"When anyone comes into my room, monsieur, I propose, I demand that he -shall take off his hat. Come! take yours off at once!" - -"What! take my hat off? But suppose I----" - -"Suppose you don't choose to? Well, in that case I will just take it off -myself, and it won't take long!" - -Roncherolle grasped his cane, raised it quickly, and aimed at his -fashionable neighbor's head; but he, seeing the gesture, very quickly -snatched off his hat, while a shudder of ill augury ran through his -frame. - -"Now I am going to answer your nonsense, for you haven't said anything -else since you came in. I didn't send word to you that you mustn't teach -your parrot. In the first place, I am too well-bred, monsieur, I know -too much, to employ such terms to a man whom I suppose to be well-bred -also; I sent to you a request to suspend your lessons while I am -suffering from the gout, because that terrible disease often forces me -to pass whole nights without sleep; so that it is very natural that I -should wish to enjoy a little repose during the day; and instead of -acceding to my request, which a courteous man would have done, monsieur -enters my room as if it were a public square, he calls me his 'old man,' -and a marmotte, and threatens me with his wrath if I venture to complain -again!--Do you know, monsieur, that it is doubly cowardly to insult an -old man who is ill and cannot defend himself?" - -Little Saint-Arthur, who felt very ill at ease, and had lost all his -swagger, replied in a faltering voice: - -"But, monsieur, I don't know whether--I don't understand--I----" - -"Well, monsieur, I will tell you something, and that is that you were -not such a coward as you thought. That surprises you, doesn't it? But -this is how it is: in the first place, I am not so old as I look; -misfortune and disease age a man very rapidly, monsieur; and secondly, -although caught by my one leg, I am in a condition to demand -satisfaction for an insult, and you are going to have a proof of it." - -Thereupon, rolling his chair to his desk, Roncherolle opened it and took -out a pair of pistols, which he handed to his neighbor, saying: - -"Look you, with these, we will sit, each at one end of the room, and -blow each other's brains out as nicely as possible. Come, monsieur, take -one; they are loaded; I am a far-sighted man, you see!" - -Saint-Arthur had turned as pale as a turnip; he leaned against a piece -of furniture to hold himself up, and glanced toward the door. But -Roncherolle continued, raising his voice: - -"Come, monsieur, take one and let us have done with it; you came to my -room to laugh, you say; well, it seems to me that we are going to enjoy -ourselves. What makes you look at the door like that? Can it possibly be -that you would like to deprive me of your company? I warn you that that -will not do you much good, for I will have my chair rolled to your room, -I will roll it there myself if necessary, and I won't stir until you -have given me satisfaction." - -"Why, this old fellow is evidently an inveterate duelist!" said -Saint-Arthur to himself, supporting himself on whatever came under his -hand. Soon, seeing that retreat was impossible, he formed a heroic -resolution, and going up to Roncherolle, he bowed humbly before him, -saying in a voice which fright rendered almost touching: - -"Monsieur, I am really ashamed of what I did; I am confused beyond -words; I behaved like a hare-brained boy, like a poor--I may as well say -it, like a blockhead. I can't imagine what I was thinking of; that is to -say, yes, I do know,--I had wine at my breakfast, which I am not used -to, and it must have gone to my head. I realize how badly I behaved, and -I regret it; I withdraw the absurd remarks which I may have made to you, -I withdraw them; in fact, I offer my apologies for all that has taken -place; pray accept them and do not be offended with one who henceforth -will devote all his efforts to be agreeable to you." - -Roncherolle looked at the young man for a moment, then shook his head -and said: - -"Is it true that you were a little tipsy?" - -"It is true that I was a good deal so; I drank six _petits verres_, and -then I drank champagne." - -"And you are not strong at that game, perhaps?" - -"Not very strong." - -"Ah! I could give you lessons in that." - -"You know how to drink champagne?" - -"I should say so! I know thirty-three different ways of emptying one's -glass." - -"Thirty-three ways! ah! that's the sort of thing I would like to know. -So you are not angry with me any longer, neighbor?" - -"I cannot be, as you have apologized." - -"I repeat my apology." - -"And if you had told me sooner that you were tipsy----" - -"True, I should have begun with that when I entered the room. As for my -parrot, never fear, my dear neighbor, you won't hear from him any more. -I have a dressing room beyond my two rooms; that is a long distance from -you, and if I close all the doors, I think that you will not be able to -hear him talk." - -"Very good, and on my side, I hope not to be confined to the house long. -Then, as I seldom come home except to go to bed, you can teach your -parrot to talk at your ease." - -"My dear neighbor, I am overjoyed that this little discussion has -afforded me the pleasure of making your acquaintance. I see that you are -a man who has lived--when one knows thirty-three ways of drinking -champagne!" - -"Yes, it is true, I have lived, and very well--too well apparently, as -they say that that's the cause of my gout." - -"As soon as you are cured, I hope to dine with you; will you do me the -honor to accept an invitation?" - -"Why not? I have never refused an opportunity to enjoy myself, and I -don't propose to do so now." - -"I will take you to dinner with a fascinating woman, an actress on the -boulevard. That will not offend you?" - -"Offend me? far from it! in the old days, I would have invited you to -dine with four." - -"Bravo! bravissimo! I see that we are made to get along together; you -are very jovial." - -"I am much more so when I am not ill." - -"Wait--just wait three minutes, if you please; I am going to make an -experiment with Coco." - -Saint-Arthur hastily left Roncherolle and went to his room where he was -heard to close several doors. After a few moments he returned and asked: - -"Well, did you hear?" - -"What?" - -"Did you hear my bird talking?" - -"Not a sound!" - -"Ah! victory! I took him into the little dressing room, beyond the two -rooms, and there he will stay. I made him talk a great deal, in fact." - -"Did he say: 'Dutaillis is lovely?'" - -"No, he said: 'Good-day, Monsieur Brillant!' but I will teach him, I -will persist, and so long as it doesn't inconvenience you----" - -"I can't hear it at all now." - -"Then it will go all by itself. Au revoir, my dear neighbor; overjoyed -to make your acquaintance. You will allow me to come and inquire for -your health?" - -"Whenever you please." - -"I shall please often. Au revoir then; at your service; don't move." - -"Oh! there's no danger of that!" - -"To be sure; I keep forgetting your gout; what a thoughtless creature I -am!--Your servant." - -Saint-Arthur bowed to the ground this time, then left the house, saying -to Beauvinet, whom he passed on the way: - -"I have seen the gentleman who rooms beside me, and he is a delightful -man, a man of the greatest merit, a man whom I expect to see a great -deal of; and _sapristi!_ no one had better speak ill of him in my -presence; whoever does so will have me to reckon with!" - -The young man of the house was thunderstruck at these words, and in his -effort to recover his wits, he pulled his wig over his left ear. - - - - -XXIX - -A HIGH FLYER - - -Thus Saint-Arthur became, as to Monsieur de Roncherolle, a zealous, -courteous, obliging, and above all, a very neighborly neighbor. The -little dandy, seeing the gouty gentleman frequently, was astonished to -find him possessed of much intelligence and joviality, with a piquant, -original way of telling a story, and a memory abundantly supplied with -comical, entertaining and sometimes rather risque anecdotes; but in -Saint-Arthur's eyes this last quality doubled their merit; he tried to -remember some of the tales that Roncherolle had told him, and went off -to repeat them to his mistress, who was greatly amused and said to him: - -"My word! why, you know any number of funny stories now! it's amazing, -my dear; do you know that you are really getting to be amusing; can it -be that you have some wit of your own? Oh! how well you have concealed -your capacity!" - -"Why, yes, I have concealed it," replied Saint-Arthur, stroking his -chin; "I'm concealing lots of other things, too." - -"Oh! you surprise me more and more, my dear." - -Roncherolle, being forced to keep his room, was not sorry someone should -come to visit him; the nonsense of his little messenger made him laugh; -the story of his new friend's _bonnes fortunes_ diverted him mightily; -and when Saint-Arthur said to him: "Don't you think that I am a -fortunate mortal with the ladies?" he would reply with a slight shrug: -"It's a fact that the ladies are very fond of men like you." - -Saint-Arthur asked his neighbor several times to teach him some of his -methods of drinking champagne; but Roncherolle simply smiled and -replied: - -"Those things can't be taught except at the table." - -At last the gout entirely disappeared, and one day Saint-Arthur failed -to find Roncherolle in his room; he was sorely disappointed, for his -neighbor's witty conversation had become necessary to him; he retained -some scraps of it now and then. It is always well to frequent people of -intelligence, they allow themselves to be robbed so readily! - -The little dandy rose early the next day, in order to find his neighbor -before he went out; he caught him as he was leaving his bed and said to -him: - -"You are better, I see, as you go out now?" - -"Thank God! did you expect me to remain in that old easy-chair forever?" - -"No, of course not; I am delighted that you are better; but I missed you -yesterday, because, when I talk with you, I always remember some of the -funny little stories that you tell so well, and I amuse Zizi with them. -Yesterday, I had nothing at all to tell her, and she called me stupid; -that's just a way of speaking, you know----" - -"I understand perfectly.--I am very sorry, but your charmer may find you -stupid again to-day, for I have no inclination to keep my room, in order -to tell you stories." - -"And that isn't what I came to ask you to do, but something much better. -Will you do us the honor to dine with us to-day?" - -"Where?" - -"At Bonvalet's, corner of Rue Chariot." - -"Oh! I know Bonvalet's! I have often dined there." - -"Well, does it suit you to-day?" - -"It suits me very well." - -"Ah! you delight me. There will be Zizi Dutaillis, you know." - -"Yes, you have already told me that. I shall be enchanted to make her -acquaintance; I have always been very fond of professional ladies." - -"There will also be a friend of mine, an author--Monsieur Jericourt; do -you know him?" - -"I never heard of him." - -"He's a fellow of great talent, who will go a long way." - -"Who says so? himself?" - -"No, a newspaper that he writes for." - -"Oh! that amounts to the same thing. However, I will give your friend -credit for as much talent as you choose; I am of an obliging -disposition." - -"We will dine at half-past five; I know that it's bad form to dine so -early, but it's on Zizi's account; she acts in the last play, and there -is no fun in hurrying." - -"All right! I promise to be punctual." - -"Very good! By the way, you will teach me the thirty-three ways of -drinking champagne, won't you?" - -"You won't be able to learn all thirty-three at one sitting. That would -be too great a risk to take. But we will do our best." - -"That's right; we will learn as many as possible.--Until to-night." - -At precisely half after five, Monsieur de Roncherolle, having donned his -least threadbare coat and the one which fitted him best at the waist, a -tight pair of trousers, a snow-white waistcoat, patent leather shoes, a -black satin cravat tied in a dainty knot, and with his hat a little on -one side, arrived at Bonvalet's, leaning not too heavily on his cane, -and asked for Monsieur de Saint-Arthur's private room. A zealous waiter -escorted him and opened the door of a pleasant room, just large enough -for four people to be neither too crowded nor too much at their ease. - -Mademoiselle Zizi Dutaillis was three-fourths reclining on a divan, -toying with a lovely bouquet which her lover had just given her, and -taking a flower from it now and then to put in her fair hair, after -which she glanced at herself in a mirror. The young actress wore a -bewitching pink and black costume, a medley of silk, velvet and lace, -which strikingly resembled those of the famous Spanish dancers who were -kind enough to come to Paris to introduce us to the charms of the -genuine dances of their country. That costume was very becoming to the -young woman, who, with her black eyes, her tiny mouth, her very dark -eyelashes and her very light hair, was the most coquettish and saucy -little minx that it was possible to find in the boulevard theatres. - -Saint-Arthur, who was at the window, ran to meet Roncherolle. - -"Ah! how good of you!" he cried; "you are a punctual man!" - -"I never knew what it was to keep ladies waiting," said the newcomer, -saluting Mademoiselle Zizi; she had not quitted her horizontal position -when she saw the guest enter, and gave him an unceremonious little nod -and said: - -"Bonjour, monsieur." - -"Mademoiselle Dutaillis," said the little dandy, taking his neighbor's -hand and assuming a solemn expression, "I have the honor of presenting -Monsieur de Roncherolle, my neighbor, who has been pleased to accept the -invitation which--in your name as well as in mine--to have the -pleasure----" - -"Bah! that's enough! have you finished? You tire us with your speeches! -Monsieur will present himself all right; we're here to have a spree and -get a little tight. There's no need of making a lot of fuss to say that, -is there, monsieur?" - -"Bravo! that's the kind of a speech I like!" said Roncherolle, taking -Zizi's hand and patting it; "and if I were more active, I would say -also: this is the kind of woman I like!" - -"Listen to that! you're not shy! You're an old rounder, you are; anyone -can see that right away. You have made a fool of yourself for women, -haven't you?" - -"I glory in it; I have but one regret, and that is that I can't do it -any more!" - -"Do you hear, Alfred? Take monsieur for your model. Let his cane be your -oriflamme! You will always find him on the path of glory!" - -As she spoke, Zizi had taken possession of Roncherolle's cane; she -thrust it into a mustard pot on the table and waved cane and mustard pot -in the air. Roncherolle sank on a chair, laughing till the tears came; -but Saint-Arthur cried out, because she had spattered him with the -mustard, which he had received in the eye and on his waistcoat. - -"_Sapristi!_ take care, Zizi; see what you've done; you're spattering -mustard on my waistcoat." - -"What a calamity! Waistcoats can be cleaned, my friend." - -"But you have also thrown some into my eye!" - -"Eyes can be cleaned too." - -"It stings me horribly." - -"That will make your sight clearer; and perhaps you are going to see -things you don't expect, which will dazzle you! So don't cry, but attend -to the important business that brings us together--the grub! Have you -given your order? I'm very hungry myself; and you, monsieur?" - -"I am well disposed to vie with you." - -"With a fork only?" - -"Ah! be careful; your eyes are the best remedy for the gout, I believe." - -"Oho! if I was sure of that, I'd apply for a patent for my eyes.--By the -way, Frefred, what about that rare bird, that miraculous bird, you were -to give me? When will he appear? Are we going to eat him roasted?" - -"I should think not! That would be a great shame, for he is magnificent. -But I am perfecting his education; I'll give him to you when he is able -to say pretty things." - -"I am sure that you are not teaching him anything at all." - -"Oh! ask my neighbor; he'll tell you that it was my cockatoo's education -that led to our acquaintance." - -"That is the truth, _belle dame_; oh! you will possess a very knowing -bird." - -"That will be a change for me, as I have never had anything but -canaries.--Come, Frefred, is the dinner ordered? I am to act to-night, -you know--in the last piece luckily. I don't go on till half-past ten, -but I must have time to dress first; and when you have just dined and -have to hurry, it swells you out and you can't get into your dresses." - -"The dinner is served; I am glad to believe, my diva, that you will be -content." - -"I flatter myself that I shall be; besides, it's the first time you have -entertained monsieur, and you ought to make it a point of honor to let -him see that you have some skill in ordering a little Balthazar. Ring -for the waiter, my dear boy." - -"But, you see, I--I asked Jericourt to come, and he promised." - -"Bah! I don't care a hang for your Jericourt, who always keeps us -waiting. Why did you have to invite him? I've had my fill of your -Jericourt for some time past! He puts on airs and calls everything -detestable that others write. And sweet things his plays are, too! -people stand in line to get tickets." - -"Why, Zizi, I thought it would please you; formerly you were never -satisfied if Jericourt didn't dine with us." - -"Oh! formerly--that may be! but formerly and to-day--there's half a -century between the two.--Say, monsieur, ought we to wait for his -friend, who's always loafing, but always keeps people waiting, to give -himself importance? Just exactly like the people who are slightly known -in art or literature, and who, the first time a new play is given, never -come till they're sure it's begun, because then everybody has to move to -let them get to their stalls. And they're convinced that everyone says: -'Ah! that's So-and-so; that's the famous author! that's the celebrated -artist! see--he combs his hair in a way that shows his genius!'--But -instead of the exclamations of admiration that they think they call -forth as they pass, if they had sharper ears, they'd hear: 'Oh! what a -nuisance! what a bore! to disturb everybody in the middle of an act! The -devil take the fellow! He must be very anxious to show himself! but he -isn't much to look at! It's just a little bit of self-advertising! And -then!'--isn't that so, monsieur?" - -"Why, do you know, fascinating Zizi, that you are a keen observer?" - -"I don't know what I am, but I know that I have a tremendous appetite, -and that I want to dine. It's five minutes to six. We have waited a long -while already." - -"I agree with you, a lady should never wait for a gentleman." - -Saint-Arthur rang and the waiter served the dinner. They attacked the -oysters, which they watered with an excellent chablis. From time to time -the host exclaimed: - -"I don't care, I'm surprised that Jericourt doesn't come; I told him -that he would dine with my honorable neighbor." - -"You should have announced a neighbor of the other gender," said -Roncherolle; "that would have been more likely to attract the -gentleman." - -"Never mind! never mind! let's go on eating! He'll come for dessert and -we'll give him some nuts and raisins," said Zizi. - -But just as the soup was served, Jericourt appeared; and he scowled -slightly when he saw that they had not waited dinner for him. - -"I say! come on, you miserable slow-coach!" cried Saint-Arthur; "don't -you ever mean to be punctual?" - -"What difference does it make--when you don't wait for me?" retorted -Jericourt, with a bare salute to the company. - -"Wait for you!" cried Zizi; "on my word! I think not! Catch us having -pains in the stomach for monsieur!" - -"My friend," said Alfred, "let me present Monsieur de Roncherolle, my -neighbor." - -Jericourt bent his head slightly, with a patronizing glance at -Roncherolle, whose costume probably seemed to him far behind the fashion -of the day. The old gentleman, observing the arrogant air with which the -man of letters saluted him, made haste to say to Saint-Arthur: - -"I beg pardon, my dear neighbor, but I did not ask you to present me to -monsieur. Present him to me, if you please--that is all right; but that -I should be presented to him--that I don't like." - -Saint-Arthur was dumfounded; Jericourt compressed his lips and the -little actress began to laugh, saying: - -"You don't seem to be very strong in the matter of etiquette, Alfred; -you'll never be appointed an ambassador, my boy!" - -Jericourt, observing that the strange guest was of a punctilious temper -and familiar with good society, decided to take the thing jocosely; and -he rejoined, bowing to Roncherolle: - -"In truth, it was my place to be presented to monsieur, for he has the -advantage of age." - -"A melancholy advantage, is it not, monsieur? But one must needs accept -it when it comes." - -"Will you have some oysters, Jericourt? I'll ring for the waiter." - -"No, thanks, I don't eat oysters; I don't care about them any more." - -"The deuce! you don't care about oysters! Why, I've seen the time when -you adored them!" - -"What a donkey you are, Alfred," cried Zizi, "to be surprised because -tastes change!" - -"Well! my tastes never change so far as food is concerned; I love -oysters, I shall always care for them." - -"Perhaps it's the oysters that care for you," said Jericourt, helping -himself to soup. - -"Hum! this begins well," said Roncherolle to himself, filling the -actress's glass with madeira, while she glared savagely at Jericourt. -That gentleman, as he ate his soup, glanced at the gentleman opposite -from time to time, and said to himself: - -"I know that man; this certainly isn't the first time that I've seen -him; but where in the devil have I met him?" - -Roncherolle, for his part, having recognized the man of letters at the -first glance, smiled slyly as he submitted to be stared at, and -continued to be most attentive to his fair neighbor, who said to him, -eating for four all the while: - -"You please me, you do! you're a good fellow! you're worth a deal more -than all these youngsters! you're as young as they are, only you've been -so longer!" - -At last Jericourt, unable to contain himself, said to his vis-a-vis: - -"Mon Dieu! monsieur, it seems to you perhaps that I stare at you rather -persistently." - -"That flatters me, monsieur; I assume that you find me pleasant to look -at." - -"That is not just the reason, monsieur; the fact is that it seems to me -that this is not the first time we have met." - -"True, monsieur; and I recognized you instantly, when you entered the -room." - -"Be good enough then to remind me where it was." - -"It was near here--at the Chateau d'Eau flower market; you were -bargaining for a bouquet, as was an exceedingly ugly little fellow--a -friend of yours, I think--and you did not make up your mind; whereupon I -arrived and put an end to your hesitation by buying the bouquet;--do you -remember now?" - -"Yes, monsieur, I remember very well." - -And Jericourt pressed his lips together again and scowled, because that -reminder recalled no agreeable memories. - -"Then there was a _gamin_ who threw the ugly little fellow down, and as -he fell he tore his trousers." - -"Where?" queried Mademoiselle Zizi. - -"Only on the knees." - -"Bah! that isn't amusing enough!" - -"There was also a young flower girl--a very pretty girl, on my word!" - -"I know her," said Saint-Arthur; "she supplies me; it's Violette." - -"What does she supply you with, you big monster?" cried Zizi, raising -her fork to her lover, as if to stab him. - -"Mon Dieu! it's simple enough, my angel; a flower girl supplies me with -flowers, naturally." - -"Hum! you would be quite capable of going to her for other supplies." - -"O Zizi! for heaven's sake, don't be jealous like this. Besides, this -flower girl is one of Jericourt's conquests; one of his victims." - -"I don't deny it, I committed that sin; and monsieur here will bear me -out in saying that the little one is worth the trouble." - -"I will bear you out in saying that the little one is pretty, monsieur, -but that's all; for, on the day that I saw you in her company, you did -not have the air of having made a conquest of her!" - -"This old fellow is decidedly antipathetic to me!" said Jericourt to -himself. - - - - -XXX - -MANY WAYS OF DRINKING CHAMPAGNE - -"Come, Alfred! some champagne--right away! I want some champagne--and I -want it frappe." - - -"Here it is, my siren; it's behind us, cooking in the ice.--Ah! now is -the time when Monsieur de Roncherolle is going to teach us a lot of -pretty things.--Jericourt, monsieur knows thirty-three ways of drinking -a glass of champagne!" - -"Monsieur is quite capable of it." - -"For my experiments," said Roncherolle, "I must have cups, not goblets." - -"Here are some; I ordered two kinds of glasses." - -"I fill my glass--this is the first way; attention!" - -Roncherolle coolly emptied his glass and said: - -"First of all, there's that way--to drink as everybody else does." - -"Oh! I know that." - -"It's lucky that you know one," said Zizi; "otherwise it might be -thought that you had to be driven to water." - -"Let us go on to the second way." - -"You will allow me to eat a little sweetbread first?" - -"That is only fair." - -"Otherwise," sneered Jericourt, "one might think that you invited -monsieur to dinner for the sole purpose of learning to drink." - -"And if that were so," rejoined Roncherolle, "I should not bear my -neighbor a grudge; that would prove that I am still good for something, -and one so often entertains people who are good for nothing!" - -"The second way, my dear fellow, the second way!" said Zizi, with a -playful tap on Roncherolle's cheek. - -"At your service, _belle dame_.--Look--this glass is full; I put it on -this plate, and the point is to drain it without touching it with the -hands or spilling a drop." - -"Oh! that must be extremely difficult--I will go farther and say that it -seems to me impossible," said Saint-Arthur. - -"Not at all--look." - -Roncherolle took the plate on which the glass stood, lifted it, put the -glass to his lips, then tipped it toward his mouth, still holding it -steady with the plate, and swallowed all it contained. - -"Ah! charming, delightful!" cried Alfred. - -"I have seen that done before, but I had forgotten it," said Zizi; -"wait; I believe that I can do it." - -The young actress did exactly as Roncherolle had done, and succeeded -perfectly. - -"It's your turn, Jericourt." - -"Do that! why that's the ass's bridge!" replied the man of letters, with -a shrug. - -"Well, do it then." - -"No, I didn't come to dinner to play tricks." - -"That's a pity," said Roncherolle, "for I am sure that monsieur must -know some that we do not." - -"In that case," said Saint-Arthur, filling a glass to the brim with -champagne and putting it on a plate, "it's my turn; now that I have seen -the thing done twice, I don't see why I shouldn't do it too; I am no -more of a fool than other people." - -"That's too bad, my dear; if you were, it would be a way of attracting -attention!" - -"Hush, Zizi! don't say nasty things, but watch; I am going to begin." - -The pretty youth succeeded in raising the glass to his lips, but just as -he was about to drink, he lifted the plate too high, and all the -contents of the glass fell on his shirt and his cravat. Alfred cried -aloud in dismay, while his three guests roared with laughter, that -incident having restored Jericourt's good humor. - -"_Sapristi!_ I am done for. I was on the edge of success, for I -certainly should have drunk it all without spilling a drop." - -"But you didn't spill a drop," said Roncherolle; "the whole business -went." - -"I am wet through, my shirt is drenched and my cravat; what shall I do? -I can't show myself in this condition." - -"Well then, don't show yourself, my friend, keep out of sight. At all -events, it will be dark when you leave here, and you'll only need to -button your coat military fashion; that will give you the air of a hero, -it will change you completely." - -"But I am all wet, I am----" - -"Nonsense! take a napkin and wipe yourself, and above all things don't -be sulky; we came here to enjoy ourselves, and you still have to learn -thirty-one ways of drinking champagne." - -Saint-Arthur made no reply; he stuffed three napkins into his bosom and -began to eat again. - -"Deuce take it! my dear man," said Jericourt, drinking his wine slowly, -"that is what comes of trying to learn original things in order to make -yourself agreeable in society; you don't always succeed." - -"In fact, there are some people who never succeed," observed -Roncherolle. - -"I request a suspension of the lessons in drinking champagne," said -Alfred; "I must dry myself before attempting anything else." - -"We consent," said Zizi, "on condition that it is not to interfere with -our drinking." - -"It seems to me that you are doing very well," said Jericourt; "you will -be rather gay in your play to-night!" - -"So much the better! The play lacks gayety, and I shall do well to -impart a little to it." - -"I came near acting once," said the host, still sponging himself. "Do -you remember, Jericourt, that place in the country you took me to some -weeks ago--at Nogent-sur-Marne?" - -"Yes, it was very amusing." - -"There was one thing that I didn't call amusing, and that was being -obliged to escort that lady back to Paris--an ex-pretty woman." - -"Why were you such a fool as to tell her that we had a coupe waiting? -She instantly caught the ball on the bound and asked us to give her a -little room in our carriage." - -"Little was hardly the word; that lady may have been thin once, but she -isn't now." - -"Ah! I never heard of this lady that you brought home!" cried the young -actress, with an American glance at her lover. "That has rather a -crooked look!" - -"Oh! really, my diva, when I tell you that she was on the decline!" - -"It seems to me that you too were on the decline--with her." - -"However, she was a woman of great distinction, a baroness!" - -"Listen to that! monsieur must have baronesses now!" - -"The Baronne de--de Grangeville--that's the name." - -"De Grangeville?" said Roncherolle, who, on hearing that name, replaced -on the table the glass that he was about to put to his lips. "Did you -say that the lady you brought home was the Baronne de Grangeville?" - -"Yes, my dear neighbor; do you know her?" - -"No--that is to say, her name recalled a person whom I used to know." - -Roncherolle had become thoughtful; Zizi tapped him on the knee, saying: - -"Well, well, tell us what you're dreaming about, my Knight of the Round -Table? Is that baroness's name going to spoil your spirits? I don't -propose to have that! Don't let me hear any more of your great ladies; I -call for a third way of drinking champagne." - -"Here! present!" said Roncherolle, resuming his playful air. "See, my -dear girl, here is a third way: we put the glass on the plate like this -just now, didn't we? Well, now we are going to stand this second glass -on the first one; that is easy enough; but then we fill the glass that -is on top, and drink the contents by lifting the plate as we did just -now, without touching either glass." - -"Oh! that must be terribly hard!" - -"Look--here goes." - -Roncherolle performed the feat he had described, without spilling a drop -of wine. Saint-Arthur was lost in admiration, but Jericourt muttered as -he tipped back in his chair: - -"I have seen clowns on the boulevard do that." - -Roncherolle glared at Jericourt with a half-angry, half-bantering -expression, saying: "In truth, monsieur, I was a clown a very long -while! And with the permission of the company, I will undertake to make -you as flat as this knife blade in a very few moments." - -Jericourt did not know what reply to make. Zizi, who, with the tact -which all women possess, divined a quarrel on the point of breaking out, -made haste to say to Roncherolle: - -"Come, my dear gallant, since you are so obliging and are willing to -instruct us in your science, show me again what you have just done, and -I will try to copy you; I will be your assistant." - -"I shan't try this third way of drinking," said Saint-Arthur, "except in -my own room and with unsophisticated water." - -"You will do well, my boy, for you would break too many glasses here." - -The young actress did what Roncherolle had just shown them, and did it -with equal success. - -"Bravo! bravo!" cried the host. "Honor to Zizi! You know three ways -already, dear love!" - -"And I don't propose to stop at that." - -"These ladies succeed in whatever they choose to undertake," said -Roncherolle. - -Jericourt, with a curl of his lip, muttered: - -"Madame Saqui could do no better!" - -"Oh! you always look as if you were sneering!" said Zizi; "but you would -be hard put to it to do as much. It's easy to criticise, my dear man!" - -"This much is certain, that I shall not venture to contend with you." - -"Because you realize your inferiority." - -"But I am waiting till you come to the thirty-third way. I fancy that -you will do some very extraordinary things then!" - -"Oh! my boy, we're not such fools. We mean to have some fun, to get a -little screwed, but we don't propose to get drunk. We will learn one -more way and that will do for to-night; what do you say, my gallant?" - -"As you command, _belle dame_." - -"Why, do you know that you're a hard-headed party? Champagne doesn't -seem to affect you at all. You drink more than we do, and you don't seem -to notice it." - -"That is the result of my long studies--another advantage of age!" - -"Look at Alfred; he hasn't drunk half as much as you, I'll bet, and his -eyes are in curl-papers already; anyone would think he was going to -sleep." - -"I--oh! I haven't any desire to sleep; I was engaged in thought." - -"Of what?" - -"Of the baroness whom he escorted home, no doubt!" said Jericourt, with -an ironical glance at the gentleman who aroused his displeasure, and -whose emotion at the mention of the baroness's name he had noticed. - -"Are you going to stuff us some more with your titled lady?" cried -Mademoiselle Zizi; "bah! what a tease this Jericourt is!" - -"That subject bores you, my sweet angel; forgive me, I won't mention -that lady again. However, I believe that this Madame de Grangeville is -nothing more than a counterfeit baroness." - -"What makes you think so, monsieur? By what right do you insult that -lady?" demanded Roncherolle, in a tone in which there was no trace of -jesting, and with a by no means amicable glance at the man of letters. - -"What! I insult her? Why do you set yourself up as the lady's champion, -monsieur, if you don't know her?" - -"I do know her, monsieur, and I have a right to defend her. The Baronne -de Grangeville is more noble than you are eminent in letters; but -perhaps that is not saying overmuch for her nobility." - -"You are attacking me now, monsieur; do you mean to insult me?" - -"Come, come, messieurs! upon my word! how is this? do you propose to -quarrel now?" murmured Alfred, whose mouth had become dry and sticky. "I -won't have it; I----" - -"Hold your tongue, Bibi!" cried Mademoiselle Zizi. "Don't you see that -it's a joke? It would be pretty, wouldn't it, to come to dinner with a -lady and take to squabbling in her presence!--In the first place, I -believe monsieur is too well bred for that; and as for Jericourt, he -knows well enough that it doesn't pay to make me angry; I have ways of -revenging myself! Come; let's have no more talk about it, and our dear -neighbor will show us the fourth way to drink champagne; and everybody -must try to imitate him this time. What do you say, my dear friend?" - -"I told you just now, _belle dame_, that I am always at your service." - -"Good! now you are agreeable again." - -While Roncherolle filled his glass, Jericourt rose, took his hat, and -said, bowing coldly to the company: - -"It is eight o'clock and I have an appointment at that hour; I am -distressed that I cannot stay longer." - -"What! leaving us so early?" faltered Alfred. - -"Liberty! _libertas!_" said Zizi; "all sorts of good wishes, monsieur!" - -When Jericourt had left the room, the young woman sprang to her feet and -began to dance a sort of _cachucha_ in front of the mirror, singing: - - "Il est parti - Ce cher ami! - Ah! ca m'enchante! - J'en suis contente! - Traderi dera la la - Traderi deri! Biribi!" - -"Faith!" said Roncherolle, "I must tell you frankly, my dear Monsieur -Saint-Arthur, that Monsieur Jericourt doesn't attract me at all, and -that I ask you as a favor not to invite me to dine with him again!" - -"Nor me; I won't dine with that ill-licked fellow any more; do you hear, -my dear?" - -"I hear.--But let's see the fourth way." - -"Attention!--You must sing: 'When the bells of the village ring the hour -of work, _eh bon, bon, bon_!' I have my glass full, I drink after your -three _bons_, and I answer _bon_. You repeat _eh bon bon bon_ three -times; I answer _bon_ every time, after drinking; and when I say _bon_ -the last time I must have finished my glass." - -"_Fichtre!_ that's rather complicated!" - -"Not at all; it's simply a matter of emptying your glass in three -swallows; you mustn't begin till after the _eh bon bon bon_, and you -must finish it before you say the last _bon_.--Sing, fair Zizi." - -"Here goes! - - "When the bells of the village - Ring the hour of work, - Eh bon bon bon!" - -Roncherolle, after drinking: - -"_Bon!_" - -Zizi: - -"_Eh bon bon bon!_" - -Roncherolle: - -"_Bon!_" - -Zizi: - -"_Eh bon bon_----" - -"_Bon!_ and you see, it's empty!" - -"Ah! that's a very pretty way!--It's my turn; fill my glass, old fellow, -and sing; I'm ready." - -Roncherolle sang and Mademoiselle Zizi drank, answered _bon,_ and -swallowed her wine at one gulp. - -"You went a little fast," said the professor; "but never mind, you'll do -it all right." - -"My turn!" cried Alfred, lifting his glass in a hand that was far from -steady. "Sing, and you'll see; I'm sure of succeeding at this method; I -am waiting at the post." - -Mademoiselle Zizi sang the ballad. At the first _bon bon!_ Saint-Arthur -spilt his wine on the floor; at the second he struck his nose with his -glass; and at the third he swallowed the wrong way and strangled; they -were obliged to pound him on the back and make him look at the ceiling, -in order to bring him to life. - -"My dear boy, I think that you have done enough for to-day," said Zizi; -"you are not adroit to-night, and I don't want you to learn any more -ways.--Great heaven! it's nine o'clock! I must go and dress--I wear a -costume that it takes a long while to put on.--I say, I'm a little -dizzy; but no matter! it will pass off on the stage.--Adieu, monsieur; I -hope to see you again." - -"Are you going away alone?" - -"I have only to cross the boulevard. Alfred, you will come to my -dressing-room for me at half-past eleven, not a minute earlier; I forbid -you." - -"Yes, dear angel.--Isn't she enchanting, neighbor, with that little -demoniacal expression?" - -"And he'd like me not to love anybody but him, the idiot!" whispered -Zizi in Roncherolle's ear; "can you imagine such conceit?" - -"That certainly would be a great pity." - -Mademoiselle Zizi disappeared. Alfred paid the waiter, doing his utmost -to stand erect on his legs. - -Roncherolle took his arm, to help him to go downstairs, and before -leaving him on the boulevard, said: - -"Do me the favor to give me the address of the lady whom you took -home--the Baronne de Grangeville." - -"Ah! the Baronne de--you want to know her address? Villain! monster! you -have criminal designs!" - -"Perhaps so--but her address." - -"Wait--I know it perfectly." - -"Well then, where is it?" - -"Ah!--Rue de--what do you call it--you know it well enough!" - -"If you should tell me the name, I should know it better." - -"Rue--parbleu! Rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges; number 21 or 24--it's in the -twenties." - -"Infinitely obliged." - -"Au revoir, my dear friend! I'm going to the Cafe Turc for a game of -billiards; I feel in condition to make fifteen cannons in succession." - -"Much pleasure to you." - -And Roncherolle walked away, saying: - -"I know her address at last! To-morrow I will carry her a bouquet -myself." - - - - -XXXI - -THE EFFECTS OF TIME - - -But our plans are traced on sand; and then too, sad as it is to admit -it, champagne is not really good for the gout. - -On the day following that dinner party, during which Roncherolle had -given instruction in such pleasant matters, instead of going as he hoped -to pay a visit to the Baronne de Grangeville, he was obliged to keep his -bed; his gout had returned, more obstinate and more painful than ever; -the poor invalid lost his temper, complained, swore like one possessed, -because it seemed to him that that relieved him; and finally he said to -himself: - -"I won't give any more lessons in drinking champagne." - -At the end of three days, all that Roncherolle could do was to lie at -full length in his reclining chair, with his foot on cushions; then, as -he could not hope to leave the house for some time, he sent the young -man of the house, Beauvinet, to bring his usual messenger; and Chicotin -soon appeared before him. - -"Look you, my boy," said Roncherolle, "I have been shrewder than you--I -have discovered Madame de Grangeville's address." - -"The deuce you have! however did you do it? You can hardly walk!" - -"I could walk a few days ago, and if it hadn't been for an infernal -dinner--but faith, I guess I won't curse that dinner, for I enjoyed -myself hugely; and after all, if I suffer, I suffer for something; let -us return to the lady; the Baronne de Grangeville lives on Rue -Fontaine-Saint-Georges, number 21 or 23; I am not quite sure of the -number but it's in the twenties." - -"Oh! that's enough, bourgeois; that's all I need; if necessary, I will -try all the houses in the street." - -"Very good; now take this five-franc piece; you will go and buy a -bouquet for which you will pay three francs, no less, understand; don't -try to cheat me." - -"Oh! never you fear, bourgeois, that's all right; if the flower girl -should ask only forty sous, I would give her three francs." - -"But I should prefer that the girl should ask three francs; the bouquet -will be finer." - -"It's all right; never you fear, the bouquet will be a good one." - -"When you have got it, you will take it to Madame de Grangeville from -me, and you will tell her that Monsieur de Roncherolle sends his -respects and that he will come to see her as soon as he can go out." - -"I will say when you get over your gout." - -"No, don't mention my gout, that isn't necessary. Say to her that I am -indisposed; that is all, do you understand?" - -"Yes, bourgeois, never fear; it will all go as if it was on wheels; and -shall I come back and tell you what answer the lady gives me?" - -"Naturally." - -"I am off. By the way, bourgeois, perhaps you don't know, but no doubt -you will soon receive a visit from a friend of yours; that happens just -right; you are sick and it will amuse you." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I mean that yesterday, no longer ago than that, I saw my old comrade -Georget, a good fellow, who's in the dumps all the time because he's in -love. But that's another story; it would take too long to tell you." - -"I will excuse you from telling it, but come to the point at once." - -"Well, while we were talking, I mentioned your name; it happens that his -master at Nogent knows you and would like to see you; he didn't know -your address, so I gave it to Georget." - -"What is the name of this gentleman at Nogent?" - -"His name is Monsieur Malberg." - -"I don't know anybody by that name; your comrade must have made a -mistake and taken one name for another. But go about your errand to -Madame de Grangeville, and above all things buy a pretty bouquet." - -"I should say so! if I didn't get a fine one for three francs, it would -be funny." - -Chicotin took his leave. Roncherolle stretched out his leg, made a wry -face and uttered a hearty oath, because of the pain; then he laid his -head on the back of his chair and tried to sleep. - -Five minutes passed; the hall door opened again, and a gentleman -appeared in the doorway; it was the Comte de Brevanne, who said as he -glanced into the chamber: - -"Monsieur de Roncherolle, if you please?" - -Receiving no reply, the count decided to enter; he saw a gentleman -dozing, who had not been shaved for several days, whose head was covered -with a huge fur cap, which fell almost over his eyes, and who was -wrapped in an old dressing gown of which it was not easy to tell the -color. He shook his head, saying: - -"That boy must have directed me to the wrong door, this can't be the -place. Roncherolle would not live in such a wretchedly furnished room; -besides, this sick old gentleman in the chair must be at home. I must -try elsewhere." - -Brevanne was about to go away, when Roncherolle opened his eyes and -seeing a stranger in his room, cried: - -"What is it? What do you want of me? Why are you here, monsieur?" - -At the sound of that voice, which had not changed so much as the person -to whom it belonged, the count stopped, shuddered slightly and repeated -in a loud voice: - -"I want Monsieur de Roncherolle." - -"Well, I am De Roncherolle! what do you want of me?" - -The count stepped forward; he scrutinized the man before him, and he -wondered if that pale, sick creature, whose face had grown thin and -indicated long suffering, who seemed to be at least sixty years old, and -whose costume was far from denoting prosperous circumstances, could -possibly be Roncherolle, formerly so dandified and magnificent, who was -cited as a model for men of fashion, and whom all the women admired. - -As for Roncherolle, for some moments he had been looking attentively at -his visitor; the more he looked at him, the more keenly did his features -betray the emotion which he felt; and at last when the count exclaimed: - -"Is it really true that you are De Roncherolle?" he instantly replied: - -"To be sure, and you are De Brevanne!" - -The count recoiled, exclaiming: - -"You dare to use intimate terms to me, monsieur!" - -"Oh! I beg your pardon, that's true; I should not address you so; I -forgot, it was the old habit; but hereafter I will be more careful. Pray -sit down, monsieur le comte; I knew you at once, for, except that your -hair is turning gray, you are but little changed; whereas with me it is -very different; you could not believe that it was I. I have grown old -rapidly, I crumbled all at once; add to that all sorts of annoyances, -the change in my position, and people turning their backs upon me -because I can no longer oblige them, and others because I did oblige -them formerly, like Beaumont, De Marcey and De Juvigny! But I am -chattering away and you are still standing; pray take a seat and be good -enough to tell what brings you here." - -"You ask me what brings me, monsieur!" retorted De Brevanne, still -standing in front of De Roncherolle. "You ask me that! you mean that you -do not divine?" - -"Faith, no!" - -"When you see once more the man whom you shamelessly outraged, and whom -you have eluded for so many years, you do not divine that he comes to -demand the satisfaction which you refused him so long ago?" - -"Bah! do you really mean it's for that? What! after so long a time, -after twenty years, you still think of that business?" - -"There is no limitation in matters relating to honor." - -"Ah! that makes a difference; you are obstinate about it. I am sorry for -that; but did not I admit my fault? Didn't I ask your pardon long ago? -Come, Brevanne, come, does not heaven say: 'mercy for all sins?' We were -such good friends once." - -"Hush! do not appeal to the memory of that friendship, which makes your -conduct even more odious. But let us not waste time in useless talk; for -twenty years I have been looking for you, to fight with you; I have -found you to-day, and I trust that you will no longer refuse to give me -satisfaction." - -"Since you are bent upon it! Mon Dieu! men are supposed to become -reasonable when they grow old; the fact is that they are never -reasonable.--Honor! honor! oh! how right Beaumarchais was!--All this is -infernally stupid, on my word!" - -"Well, monsieur?" - -"Well, I will do whatever you wish; arrange it for--for--ah! ten -thousand million thunders! how I suffer! how I suffer!" - -A violent attack of pain seized the invalid; he turned pale, his voice -died away, great drops of perspiration rolled down his cheeks, the -contraction of his features proved the violence of the pain that he -felt, and the count was deeply moved at sight of his suffering; he -looked all about the room in search of something to help him. He saw on -the mantelpiece a phial filled with a liquid; he took it and offered it -to Roncherolle. - -"Here, perhaps this is what you take when you have such attacks. Drink." - -"No," replied Roncherolle, pushing away the phial. "Let me suffer; I -have well earned it; you see what I am reduced to; if you kill me, -instead of punishing me you will do me a favor." - -"Monsieur," said the count, "the duel cannot take place while you are in -this condition, I appreciate that; I must wait until you are cured, in -order that I may have an adversary worthy of me. I leave you, and I will -come again a fortnight hence to learn how you are." - -"Oh! as you please. Are you going?" - -And with an involuntary gesture Roncherolle put out his hand to the -count; but he contented himself with a slight inclination of the head, -saying: - -"I will send somebody to you, monsieur, to help you." - -Then he took his leave, still upset by what he had seen, saying to -himself: - -"What a change! he is unrecognizable. Ah! he is in a still worse plight -than she!" - -"If he waits until I get over the gout to fight with me," said -Roncherolle to himself, "I fancy that our duel is indefinitely -postponed. What a devil of a man!--Ah! that attack is passing away; that -is lucky.--Poor Brevanne; he has hardly changed at all; and in the -bottom of my heart I was secretly glad to see him, we used to be such -good friends, and I should have been so happy to renew our friendship! -He would not have turned his back on me, like all those others whom I -obliged long ago, and who will have nothing to say to me now, because I -lent them money and they don't want to repay it. But what is done is -done. Oh! these women! they are the cause of all the follies that we -commit." - -Beauvinet opened the hall door and put his head in, saying: - -"The gentleman who just went out said that monsieur had a bad attack and -needed attention; so I came----" - -"Clear out and leave me in peace!" retorted Roncherolle, striking the -floor angrily with his cane. - -The young man did not wait for that invitation to be repeated; he -disappeared like a stage shadow-figure, and slammed the door behind his -back. - -"But he will come again in a fortnight," reflected the invalid after a -moment. "He is a man of his word, he won't fail to come; and if, as I -must hope, I am in condition to walk, I shall have to meet him.--Fight -with him! well, if he is obstinate about it, I will be equally -obstinate.--Who is coming to disturb me now, ten thousand devils?" - -"Why, it's me," said Chicotin, entering the room; "I did your errand, -bourgeois, and I did it well, I flatter myself; in the first place, I -bought a superb bouquet; oh! it was A No. 1; it was worth four francs -rather than three. I didn't buy it of Mamzelle Violette, just to make -her mad; I don't mean to buy anything more of her. But you don't care -anything about that.--I went to Rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges, and I found -Madame la Baronne de Grangeville, not in the twenties, but at 19, but -that don't make any difference. They let me in, and I found the lady -sitting in a great machine. To cut it short, when I said to her: -'Madame, it is Monsieur de Roncherolle who sends you this bouquet, with -all sorts of messages;' if you had seen what a jump that lady gave on -her--her divan, just like a carp in the frying pan; then she said: -'Monsieur de Roncherolle! what, is he in Paris? Tell him to come and see -me right away, as soon as possible; I shall expect him impatiently.'--I -answered: 'Madame, certainly, to be sure--that's what he means to do; he -will come as soon as he can stand on his pins'--oh, no! I didn't say -pins, I said legs; and then I bowed and left, and she didn't give me -anything." - -"Well, keep the rest of the money I gave you." - -"Thanks, bourgeois, thanks; and did your friend from Nogent come to see -you?" - -"Yes, yes, he came, my friend. Do you know, Chicotin, that you're a -wretched chatterbox, and that I ought to pull your ears for giving -anyone my address without finding out whether I wanted you to?" - -"Mon Dieu! did I make a fool of myself? Isn't your friend your friend -any longer?" - -"Yes, you did make a fool of yourself; but I hope that you won't do it -again; meanwhile, you are responsible for my having to leave this house, -which, however, I hardly regret." - -"Are you going to move?" - -"Yes, in a few days, as soon as I can walk. But I don't propose to take -furnished lodgings again; he would find me, he would visit them all. I -mean to hire a room in some quiet house, and furnish it myself. That -won't take long; a bed, a table, two chairs and a bureau, that is all -that I need. Listen, Chicotin, while I am unable to go about, you must -find those things for me, so that I shall simply have to move in as soon -as I am cured. Do you understand,--just a small apartment, as neat and -clean as possible; a bedroom and a study, that will be enough for me." - -"All right, bourgeois, I understand; I'll look about for you. In what -quarter?" - -"I don't care." - -"Oh! then I can find something easier. How much do you want to pay for -your lodgings?" - -"Hum! as little as possible; the funds are decreasing every day, my -boy!" - -"Do you want to go as high as eighty francs?" - -"A quarter?" - -"Oh, no! What next! I mean for a year." - -"You can get nothing better than a garret, a kennel for that price. You -may go as high as two hundred francs,--two hundred and fifty." - -"In that case, bourgeois, I'll find you something fine, a little palace; -I propose that you shall be more comfortable than you are now." - -"You won't have much difficulty about that; try not to make me go up too -many stairs." - -"Pardi! for two hundred and fifty francs you ought to be able to obtain -a magnificent lodging on the first floor." - -"I don't think it. However, attend to it at once." - -Three days after this conversation, Chicotin entered Roncherolle's room -with a triumphant air; he found him getting better, and walking about -the room. - -"Here I am, bourgeois, I've found what you want. I think you'll be -satisfied; but lodgings are dearer than I thought; I couldn't find a -lodging on the first floor for your two hundred and fifty francs." - -"Well, what have you found?" - -"I have found two pleasant little rooms, for two hundred francs, no -more; fresh paper, not colored, but you can put one on; and a view--oh! -such a view! as good as if you was on the Arc de Triomphe; and all the -conveniences right at your door; and a waxed staircase, not up to the -top, but as far as the third floor." - -"What floor is this apartment on?" - -"Why, on the fifth, bourgeois!" - -"Sacrebleu! I am not surprised that there is a good view; is that what -you call getting me a lodging near the ground?" - -"There ain't any to be had, master; but the stairs are as easy as can -be; you can go up without moving your legs; and then there is a -concierge who is willing to do the housework for all the tenants, at a -very moderate price, and even to make the coffee." - -"There are many advantages, and no mistake; where is this jewel of an -apartment situated?" - -"Not very far from here, monsieur, on Rue de Crussol; it's near the -boulevard, near that handsome round theatre for horses, that's just been -built." - -"I don't know Rue de Crussol." - -"If monsieur is able to walk, I will show him the way there." - -"Go and fetch a carriage, and you may take me to see the lodgings." - -"Right away, bourgeois." - -Chicotin went out to fetch a cab, and climbed up behind when Roncherolle -was inside. They stopped on Rue de Crussol in front of the house which -Chicotin pointed out. An old concierge, very dirty but very polite, made -repeated reverences to Roncherolle, and bustled upstairs before him, -while Chicotin said to the old gentleman: - -"If you don't want to go up, bourgeois, because it tires you, why I will -take you on my back. I am strong and I won't drop you; I would carry you -that way through the streets if you wanted." - -"Thanks, my boy, but that new style of locomotion does not attract me, -and I doubt whether I could make it the fashion. Besides, they say that -one must walk about and exercise with the gout. So I will go up on my -feet." - -"If you must exercise, you see that it is much better that you should -live on the fifth floor." - -Roncherolle inspected the lodgings, heaved a profound sigh in spite of -himself, and reflected: - -"After all, what can one expect to get for two hundred francs? It's all -I can afford--in fact, rather more." - -He gave the concierge her earnest money, informing her that he relied -upon her to do the housework and to make his coffee; whereupon the old -woman redoubled her reverences and her politeness, crying: - -"I hope monsieur will like our house; I shall always be ready to wait on -him; whenever he needs anything, all he has got to do is to put his head -out of the window and call Mere Lamort, and I will go up in a second." - -"What did you say that I must call you, madame?" - -"Mere Lamort." - -"Ah! your name is Lamort, is it?" - -"At your service, monsieur." - -"You are very good; you have, I won't say a devil of a name, but a -singular name, at least; an almost terrifying name." - -"Mon Dieu! monsieur, that don't prevent me from being as well as can be, -or from having had twelve children, who are all as well as you or I." - -"For their sakes, I hope they are as well as you." - -"And monsieur will see that my name don't prevent me from having a good -foot and a good eye; and he'll be satisfied with my services." - -"I don't doubt it; we shall meet again soon, Madame Lamort." - -Roncherolle returned to his cab, and Chicotin climbed up behind again, -saying to the driver: - -"I am in monsieur's suite, in his suite, I say."[A] - -[A] An untranslatable pun: 'Je suis de la suite de monsieur; de sa -suite, j'en suis.' - -Two days later, Roncherolle, having purchased just what he absolutely -needed to furnish his new lodgings, paid what he owed at his quarters, -and announced that they might let his room. - -"Ah! monsieur is leaving us?" said Beauvinet, pulling at one side of his -wig. "If anyone comes to ask for monsieur, what address shall I give?" - -"You may send them to Passage I-don't-know-where, the first door to the -right as you enter Paris by the Barriere de l'Etoile." - -When Roncherolle had been gone a long time, the young man was still -pulling at his wig, saying to himself: - -"Passage I-don't-know-where! that's funny; I know all the passages in -Paris except that one." - - - - -XXXII - -A BUNCH OF VIOLETS - - -Since the Comte de Brevanne had spoken to Violette, and since she had -seen Georget look at her from a distance, and then walk hastily away, -with a glance of contempt at her, the young flower girl felt every day -more depressed and discouraged. So long as Georget had been near her, so -long as she was able to see him morning and evening, and read in his -eyes the love he felt for her, the young girl had looked upon that love -as a mere childish freak, and had refused to admit to herself that she -shared the sentiment which she aroused. - -But now that her young lover had left Paris in order to avoid being near -her, now that he had fled from her, and when he met her manifested no -other feeling than that of contempt or hatred, poor Violette realized -how dearly she loved Georget; and, what was even more cruel, how dearly -she still loved him, despite the grief he caused her. - -When she learned that the gentleman who had questioned her concerning -Georget was the young messenger's patron, the pretty flower girl had -felt a thrill of joy, and hope had returned to her heart; she flattered -herself that through the medium of Monsieur Malberg, she could convince -her lover that he had done wrong to suspect her. But the abrupt way in -which the count left her dispelled that hope. - -However, as hope does not quickly leave a young heart, especially that -of a young woman who knows that she is pretty, Violette flattered -herself for several days that Georget would return to Paris, that he -would pass her booth, and that he would not have the courage not to -stop; then she said to herself also that this Monsieur Malberg, who had -asked her so many questions concerning her age and her mother, would -probably want to see her again. But the days passed and no one came, -neither Georget, nor his patron. A single man passed now and then in -front of the booth of the flower girl, at whom he cast insulting -glances, glances which seemed to enjoy the grief that he could read on -her face. That man was the author of all the girl's trials; and once -even he had dared to approach her and had tried to make love to her; but -thereupon Violette had risen, so indignant and so threatening, and the -flashing eyes which she turned upon Jericourt denoted such a determined -resolution, and her right hand had grasped so quickly several bunches of -thorns which were among her flowers, that he had walked rapidly away, -and had never again attempted to enter into conversation with the flower -girl. - -It was ten o'clock in the morning, and Chicotin had just left -Roncherolle, who was living in his new lodgings on Rue de Crussol, and, -feeling that his left foot was not yet in condition to descend the five -flights, had again employed his regular messenger to carry a bouquet to -Madame de Grangeville and to inquire for her health. But as the -unfortunate victim of the gout saw his resources diminish every day, he -had told Chicotin to buy a bouquet for one franc instead of three. - -The ci-devant lady-killer was still gallant; but his fortune no longer -permitted him to be gallant in the same measure as of yore. - -Chicotin walked along Boulevard du Chateau d'Eau, with his franc in his -hand; and as it was not flower market day, there were very few dealers -in evidence; and the flower girls who were in their places had very few -violets, which doubtless were also scarce at that moment. - -The pretty flower girl who bore the name of that flower was the only one -supplied with them; she had some large and fine bunches. - -"_Sapristi!_" said Chicotin to himself, as he turned over some miserable -little bunches at two sous which another flower girl offered him; "this -isn't what I want; I can't carry such things as these to the lady on Rue -Fontaine-Saint-Georges; for when one buys only one kind of flower for a -franc, one ought to get a fine bunch." - -"You think so, do you, sonny? Perhaps you don't know that violets are -out of season just now. See, I will tie these four little bunches that I -have left all together and they will make a very pretty bouquet." - -"Not much! I don't want 'em; your bunches are all withered; they look as -if they had been used before." - -"What a stupid little animal!" - -Chicotin walked away from her, saying to himself: - -"It's no use for me to look, there's only one flower girl who has any -real good bunches of what I am looking for, and that's Violette; but I -have sworn not to buy anything of her since I knew that she deceived -poor Georget. However, I must do my errand, and I don't know whether I -shall find violets anywhere else. After all, you buy of a person and pay -her and that's the end of it; that don't make you friends; and then, she -don't ask so much as the others; I'll go to her." - -So Chicotin walked to the girl's booth and examined her bouquets. - -"Ah! is it you, Chicotin?" cried Violette, as she recognized Georget's -friend. "It's a long time since I've seen you; it's a strange thing how -all my old acqaintances have gone away, I don't know where. Have you -done like your friend Georget? Have you stopped standing on the -boulevard?" - -"How much do you ask for this bunch, mamzelle?" - -"I say, Chicotin, do you ever see your friend Georget? for of course he -must come to Paris from time to time." - -"This big bunch of violets, mamzelle, I ask you how much it is." - -"And I ask you if you ever see Georget? It seems to me you might answer -me." - -"Mamzelle, I came here to buy some violets and not for anything else. I -buy them of you, because you're the only one that's got any good ones; -if it wasn't for that----" - -"If it wasn't for that--well, what? Come, finish what you were going to -say." - -"Well! I was going to say that if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have -spoken to you." - -"What, you too, Chicotin? Why, has it gone so far that I must receive -insults from everybody? that everybody is going to insult me? Ah! that's -a shame! what have I done to you, that you should say that to me?" - -"To me--you haven't done anything to me personally, but you have to -somebody else, somebody I'm very fond of, who's my friend; you've made -him unhappy, and when anyone treat my friends bad, I always take a hand -in it." - -"Ah! Georget has told you too----" - -"Yes, mamzelle, he has told me--mon Dieu! you know well enough what he -must have told me,--that he couldn't love you any longer, because -you--but no matter--How much for this big bunch, mamzelle?" - -"And you believed all that too; you are convinced that I am a girl -without honor, without shame?" - -"Mamzelle, I give you my word that I didn't believe it right away; no, -indeed; and that I didn't want to believe it at all; but when you are -certain of a thing--look you, just consider that Georget and I followed -that dandified Monsieur Jericourt a whole day, to make him speak; I -begged him to tell me the truth about you." - -"Monsieur Jericourt--well?" - -"Well! he called me a fool; he said that when a girl went--How much for -this bunch, if you please?" - -"Ah! the coward! the villain! but he lied, Chicotin, I swear to you that -he lied!" - -"Oh! mamzelle, everybody knows that women never admit such things; if -only nobody had seen you; but as someone did see you, nothing you can -say will make me believe--Well, if you're not crying now! I'm sorry for -it, I don't like to make anybody cry; but it ain't my fault; I didn't -say a word about this; it was you who would talk about it; it worries me -to see you cry, and I'll go away, as you won't tell me how much this big -bunch of violets is." - -"Whatever you please," faltered the girl, holding her handkerchief to -her eyes. - -"Mon Dieu! I can't pay more than twenty sous, mamzelle." - -"All right, that's enough; take it." - -"Yes, mamzelle, I will take it; here's the twenty sous. Adieu, -mamzelle." - -Chicotin took the bouquet and walked away very fast, because he felt -that if he remained longer with the flower girl he would be quite -capable of crying with her. - -Violette wiped her eyes and tried to keep back her tears; but this fresh -blow had wounded her heart too deeply; she felt too unhappy, and was -absolutely determined to extricate herself from that position. -Throughout the day she cudgelled her brains trying to think whom she -could apply to for good advice; she felt that she must have a friend, a -protector to defend her, to assist her to justify herself. But in vain -did the poor girl cast her eyes about; fatherless and motherless, she -was also friendless since Georget believed her guilty. At last, an idea, -a last hope presented itself to her mind; despite the haste with which -Monsieur Malberg had left her, it had seemed to her that he had felt -some interest in her; the questions he had asked, the extreme attention -with which he had gazed upon her, everything led her to suppose that -something spoke to him in her favor; moreover, all the good that she had -heard of that strange man, and the benefactions which he had heaped upon -Georget and his mother, finally confirmed her in her determination. She -decided to go to Nogent, and to appeal to Georget's patron for aid and -protection; and she flattered herself that he would not turn her away. -Somewhat tranquillized by this hope, Violette went to sleep less -unhappy, saying to herself: - -"To-morrow morning I will go to Nogent." - - - - -XXXIII - -DISAPPOINTMENT.--CERTAINTY - - -On the fifteenth day after his visit to Monsieur de Roncherolle, the -Comte de Brevanne did not fail to return to the furnished apartment on -Rue de Bretagne. As he was starting upstairs, Beauvinet stopped him, -saying: - -"Whose room is monsieur going to?" - -"To Monsieur de Roncherolle's; I know that it is on the third floor!" - -"Yes, it was on the third floor, but as the tenant has left, it ain't -worth while for monsieur to go up." - -"He has left?--He has gone out, you mean, don't you?" - -"No, monsieur, no; he has gone away, he has left our house." - -"Left your house! when, pray?" - -"About ten days ago." - -"And where does he live now? He must have left you his address?" - -"His address--yes, monsieur; he lives on Passage I-don't-know-where, -first door to the right when you enter Paris by Barriere de l'Etoile." - -The count, who was in a very bad humor already, administered a hasty -kick on the young man's posterior, and left the house in a rage, saying: - -"Let that teach you to make such idiotic answers to me!--Gone! gone! he -has escaped me again!" said Monsieur de Brevanne to himself as he went -away; "he has sworn that he will not fight with me! Gone! but he could -not stand on his legs; so he must have been carried, and it is -impossible that he can have left Paris; a man doesn't travel when he is -helpless, and above all when he has no money. Judging from what I saw, -his circumstances were not prosperous. Shall I have him hunted for in -Paris again? No, I will wait until chance once more brings me face to -face with him. But I am sorry not to have seen him again; I would have -tried to find out--but no, I could never have asked him that!" - -Monsieur de Brevanne was about to return to his estate in the country, -thoughtful, and dissatisfied with himself, when he suddenly remembered -that Monsieur de Merval had given him his address in Paris; so he took a -cab and was driven there. - -"This is a pleasant surprise," said Monsieur de Merval to the count. "I -hardly expected to see you before the bad weather begins; for the autumn -will soon be here, and we are having the last fine days." - -"My dear sir, do not be too grateful for my visit; a powerful motive -brought me to Paris to-day." - -"Why, it is true, I had not noticed--you seem to have had some keen -disappointment; can I help you in any way?" - -"Have you time to listen to me?" - -"Always." - -Thereupon Monsieur de Brevanne informed Monsieur de Merval that he had -found Roncherolle; he described the visit he had paid him, and told him -of the useless proceeding which had been the result of his first visit. - -"You see," said Monsieur de Brevanne as he finished his narrative, "he -has escaped me again; he denies me the satisfaction which I have a right -to expect from him; he runs away without leaving his address; he does -not want me to find him! What do you think of such conduct?" - -Monsieur de Merval shook his head, and after a moment replied: - -"Do you desire my real opinion?" - -"To be sure." - -"Well, if you wish me to tell you my thought, I consider that -Roncherolle has done well." - -"Done well? to refuse to give satisfaction to the man whom he has -insulted? done well to run away, to act like a coward? Ah! I don't -understand you, Monsieur de Merval!" - -"Please listen to me calmly. In the first place, Roncherolle is not a -coward, as we all know; if he runs away from you, it isn't because he's -afraid of death. Mon Dieu! he told you so himself; ruined, suffering -torture in his bed three-fourths of the time, do you think that you -would punish him by depriving him of life? No. You will kill him, for -you know very well that he will never aim his weapon at you; you will -kill him--you have a right to, and no one would consider it a crime on -your part; but when you have accomplished this act of vengeance, will -you be any happier? No, no! on the contrary, you will be much less so. I -could have understood this duel in the days just after the insult, -although it would still have caused you remorse in the future; but after -twenty years, when the heroes of the episode are so different from what -they were, when it seems that Providence has undertaken to punish the -guilty, you would hunt down a miserable wretch, who for twenty years -past must have cursed a misstep which deprived him of a genuine friend, -whom he has never replaced! No, no; do not do it; leave time to act; it -is inexorable; and when we forgive those who have offended us, be sure -that every day time takes it upon itself to make them understand how -heavily they have laden their future with remorse and regret by yielding -in their youth to a guilty passion, a guilty sentiment!" - -The count listened to Monsieur de Merval without interrupting him, and -seemed to reflect deeply. After quite a long silence, he raised his eyes -to Monsieur de Merval's face, and gazed fixedly at him, saying: - -"But that is not all, you have not told me all that you know; there is -something else." - -"What? what do you mean? why do you suppose that I know anything else of -interest to you?" - -"Because now I remember your questions. I do not know how you were able -to discover a secret which had remained a secret to me down to this day; -however, I mean this--that of that criminal connection--between -Roncherolle and her who bore my name--there was--there was a child born; -is that true?" - -"Yes, that is true." - -"Ah! you knew it then, did you?" - -"Chance, one of those circumstances which one cannot foresee, led to my -discovering that mystery; this is how it happened: a year after you left -your wife,--observe that date, a year after, and I am certain of what I -tell you,--I had been passing a few days at the country house of a -friend at Ermenonville. Finding myself in the neighborhood of the -lovely spot where Rosseau's tomb is situated, I took it into my head to -stop there; in my childhood I had been taken to visit that village, -which is overflowing with reminiscences of the illustrious author of -_Emile_. But I find that one sees with more pleasure and interest at -thirty years than at fifteen whatever speaks to the mind, the soul and -the heart.--I had taken rooms at the best inn, which was, I believe, the -only one in the village; I intended to pass two days at Ermenonville, to -revisit the park, the desert, the island, in fact all those charming and -poetic spots which one never tires of visiting. On the evening of my -arrival there was a terrible storm. I was, I remember, in the common -room of the inn; the rain was falling in torrents, and although it was -September, it was quite cold, and I was glad to find a huge fire in an -enormous fireplace. - -"Suddenly we heard the noise of carriage wheels, which approached and -stopped in front of the inn. Great surprise and great delight was felt -by the inn-keeper and his wife, who did not expect guests so late, -especially in such horrible weather. They ran to the door and I retained -my seat in front of the fire. Soon the inn-keeper's wife returned and -said to me: - -"'It's a gentleman and lady, very distinguished folks, it's easy to see. -His wife is in an interesting condition; she's afraid of the storm and -wants to sleep here; but while we're getting a room ready for her, she's -coming to sit in front of this warm fire, with monsieur's permission.' - -"'Why, of course!' I said to the hostess; 'I will with very great -pleasure give up this seat to the lady, which is the best one.' - -"'She seems to be near her time; continued the hostess; 'it would be -lucky for us for she'd have to stay here for some time.' - -"As the woman stopped speaking, the travellers entered the room, and a -voice which was not unknown to me exclaimed: - -"'Pardieu; here's a fire that does one good to see!' - -"I had retired to the end of the room. Imagine my surprise, when I -recognized De Roncherolle with Madame de Grangeville on his arm, who did -seem, in fact, to be in a very interesting condition. Neither of them -noticed me. Understanding how embarrassing the meeting would be to them, -I made haste to disappear through a small door at the end of the room; I -went up to my bedroom, which I did not leave again, and the next day at -daybreak I left the inn without seeing the other guests again. That, -monsieur le comte, is how I discovered a secret which, I think, has -always been a mystery to everybody else; and my reason for never -mentioning it to you has been that it seemed at least unnecessary to -tell you of something which it could not be agreeable to you to learn, -and which moreover is entirely unconnected with you, you -understand,--entirely unconnected." - -"Yes, I understand very well. However, I never had any suspicion of -anything else. Did you return to Ermenonville?" - -"Yes, I admit that I was curious enough for that; about three weeks -after leaving so hurriedly at daybreak, I went back to the village and -stopped at the same inn. The mistress of the house recognized me -perfectly, and as we were talking of the guests whom I had left there, I -asked her if the event which she desired had taken place in her -inn.--'No, monsieur, no;' she replied; 'the next day, the lady was -better, and insisted on leaving, and I heard them tell the servant who -was driving, to take the Paris road.'--This, my dear count, is all that -I know concerning a fact which I should never have mentioned to you if -you had not seemed to be informed about it to-day." - -"And this child--the fruit of that guilty liaison--did you ever learn -what became of it, what they did with it?" - -"No, I assumed that it did not live. Otherwise, would not Madame de -Grangeville have it with her, calling herself its godmother or its -adopted mother? There are a thousand ways of disguising the truth when -one wishes to keep a child with one." - -"Well, I know more than you. I know what they did with that child and -what became of it." - -"Is it possible?" - -"At least, I think I'm on the track of the mystery." - -"And if you are not mistaken, what do you expect to do, monsieur le -comte?" - -"Oh! I don't know yet; it is all so shocking, so detestable! I cannot -listen coolly when those events are being talked about. Adieu, Monsieur -de Merval; I am going back to the country. I need to breathe the -country air in order to restore my tranquillity, to help me to recover -from the emotions of this day." - -Monsieur de Merval did not try to detain Brevanne, whose state of -irritation he appreciated; and the count at once returned to Nogent. - -Pongo was waiting for his master, teaching Carabi to pretend to be dead. -Mere Brunoy was sewing, and Georget was going and coming about the -garden, for the poor fellow could not keep still. Since he had been to -Paris, and had seen how sad Violette looked and how she had changed, her -image constantly haunted him; and when he saw his patron start for Paris -that morning, he had been twenty times on the point of asking leave to -accompany him, but he had not dared; after the oath he had lately taken, -it would have been showing too little strength of character. So the -young lover had remained at Nogent, where the day had seemed endless to -him; and he hovered about the gate, in order to see the count when he -returned, hoping that he might have seen Violette again and would speak -of her to him. - -Monsieur de Brevanne returned during the afternoon; but his brow was -dark, his expression more thoughtful than usual. Without a word he -passed his household, who bowed before him; and he shut himself up in -his room at once. - -"Master no want to talk," said the mulatto to Georget, "him not nod his -head and say good-day; him not in good temper." - -"Oh! I saw that too; he didn't say a single word as he passed.--I -suppose he didn't see her--he has other things on his mind. Well, he -won't speak to me about her, and he looks too stern for me to mention -her to him." - -And Georget returned sadly to his mother. - - - - -XXXIV - -THE COAL BARGE - - -They had all returned to their duties. But hardly an hour had passed -since the count's return, when a young woman appeared at the gate. The -gardener happened to be alone in front of the house at that moment, and -he admitted Violette, for it was she who had arrived at Nogent and had -succeeded in finding the house she had sought. - -"Is this Monsieur Malberg's house?" the girl asked timidly. - -"Yes, mamzelle, this is the place." - -"Is Monsieur Malberg at home?" - -"Yes, he came back from Paris about an hour ago." - -"And could I--could I speak to him?" - -"Oh, yes! I think so. But come in, mamzelle, and I will go and tell -monsieur." - -Violette passed through the gate tremblingly; the gardener, who had -taken a step or two toward the house, returned to her and said: - -"Who shall I tell monsieur? What is your name?" - -"My name, monsieur--but it isn't worth while; Monsieur Malberg won't -remember my name; or else, perhaps then he wouldn't want to,--and in -that case I would rather--oh dear! I don't know!" - -"Bless my soul! I don't know either." - -"Just be kind enough to tell Monsieur Malberg that it's a girl who has -come from Paris, and who would like to speak to him." - -"Very good." - -The gardener went into the house; Violette glanced timidly about, hoping -that in those beautiful avenues which she admired, in the fields which -she saw in the distance, she might catch a glimpse of Georget; then she -said to herself with a sigh: - -"No, it is much better that he shouldn't see me, for he would think that -I came here after him, and he would be quite capable of running away -from this house too." - -"If mamzelle will come this way, monsieur is ready to receive her," said -the gardener, returning. - -Violette was greatly agitated, but she followed her guide toward the -house. - -The count was in his study on the ground floor; all the curtains at the -windows were drawn, night was coming on, and the room was dark and -silent. - -"Here's the young woman," said the gardener, pushing Violette before -him, as she did not dare go in, and saying in her ear: - -"Don't be afraid, he won't eat you!" - -"Who is it who wishes to see me?" said the count, who was seated at his -desk. - -"Excuse me, monsieur, it is I." - -Violette had finally made up her mind to enter the room; she was then -close to Monsieur de Brevanne's desk, and he, as he raised his eyes, was -thunderstruck to see the young flower girl before him. - -"What! you? you here, in my house?" he cried, almost angrily. - -"Yes, monsieur, yes; you recognize me, do you not, monsieur?" - -"Recognize you? oh, yes; your features are too deeply engraven in my -memory!--But once more, mademoiselle, why have you come here? Who sent -you?" - -"Sent me? No one sent me, monsieur; I have come of my own accord. It is -very bold on my part, no doubt, but when one does not know which way to -turn, when one receives fresh insults every day, which one does not -deserve--for I swear to you, monsieur, that I have no fault to reproach -myself with, that I can walk with my head erect, that I can look my -comrades in the face without blushing; and yet I am suspected, and more -than that, people say that I am a good-for-nothing, and those who ought -to defend me are the first to abandon me, to despise me. Oh! I am very -unhappy, monsieur. Excuse me for coming to tell you this; I know that it -doesn't interest you, and yet, if you would take up my defence, -monsieur, I am very sure that people would believe you; and he--he who -is here at your house, with his mother, if you should tell him that -it's horrible to say unkind things about me--for what he believes he -tells to others, to his friends, and yesterday Chicotin, who is a good -fellow, although he loafs too much, Chicotin, who has always been -friendly to me, why, even he insulted me, he treated me with contempt! -Ah! that was too much; I felt that my courage was giving way; and to get -back a little of it, I thought of you, monsieur, who like so much to do -good; I said to myself that you would take pity on a poor girl without -parents, without friends, without anybody on earth to help her; that you -would defend her; and that is why I came, monsieur." - -Violette ceased to speak and waited for the count to answer her; but he -seemed absorbed in his thoughts, his head had fallen upon his breast, -and he said nothing. - -After a pause, the girl continued: - -"Monsieur seemed the other day to take a little interest in me, and that -is what encouraged me to come here." - -"Ah! in my house! you!" cried Brevanne, roused from his meditations by -these words; "why, you know very well, mademoiselle, that my house is no -place for you; that you less than any other ought to come here; that -it's like defying me, like hurling an insult in my face, to come here!" - -Violette felt her strength giving way; as she was utterly unable to -understand the indignation of this man who had been described to her as -so kind-hearted, she lowered her eyes and faltered: - -"Monsieur, I did not know--I did not think--God knows that I had no such -intention as you suppose. Excuse me, monsieur, I see that I did wrong to -come, as it makes you angry; but I thought that you would have pity on -me, a poor girl, alone on earth, without----" - -"Without parents? Who told you that you were without parents? I am -almost certain that you have parents, for I know them." - -"Mon Dieu! can it be possible, monsieur, that you know my parents, that -you can tell me whether my mother is still alive? Oh! for heaven's sake, -do not deceive me, do not give me a false hope! See, monsieur, as your -questions the other day led me to think that you might help me to find -my family, to-day, when I came here, I thought I would bring with me the -only object that I have that belonged to my parents." - -"Ah! you have something that proves to whom you belong--a paper, a -letter, no doubt? Give it to me, give it to me; I shall recognize their -handwriting." - -"No, monsieur, it isn't handwriting, it's nothing but a handkerchief. It -seems that it was among the things they gave my nurse to procure clothes -for me; you see I had a very strange kind of _layette_, monsieur; there -were trousers in it and waistcoats and cravats; probably my parents -thought I was a boy." - -"But this handkerchief--" - -"The handkerchief my nurse thought was so beautiful, so nicely -embroidered, that she did not cut it up to make me a cap, but she kept -it for me. Mon Dieu! now I can't find it; but I am sure that I brought -it. Ah! here it is, monsieur, here it is." - -And Violette handed the count a handkerchief of the finest linen, with -embroidery in each corner. The count walked to a window, examined the -embroidery, and recognized his wife's monogram and his own, as well as -his coat of arms and his coronet. - -That proof was convincing; it removed Monsieur de Brevanne's last doubt; -and although he was previously almost certain that Violette was the -daughter of his wife and of Roncherolle, on recognizing the monogram, he -felt a violent wrench at his heart, and a shudder ran through his veins; -for, however suspicious one may be of a fact, there is a vast distance -between that and certainty. - -"Does monsieur see on the handkerchief anything that helps him to -identify my parents, and to tell whether they are still alive?" murmured -Violette, while the count kept his eyes fixed on the handkerchief. - -"Yes, yes, I have no doubt whatever now, and I had rightly divined who -you were." - -"In that case, monsieur will certainly tell me----" - -"But whoever entrusted you to a nurse must have given you some name, -have told her the name of your parents, or given her their address. Tell -me, mademoiselle, what name did they give? Answer; I insist that you -conceal nothing from me!" - -The count's wrathful expression, and the tone in which he questioned the -girl, made her tremble; poor Violette dared not meet the angry glances -that were bent upon her, and she hardly had the strength to reply: - -"Mon Dieu, monsieur, I am not concealing anything; on the contrary, I -came here to find out. I don't remember my nurse, but the kind lady who -took me in, and who brought me up and took me to Paris, was careful to -write down all that the nurse had told her. That is how I know that the -gentleman who placed me in the nurse's charge told her that my name was -Evelina de Paulausky; but he didn't give any address; he said that he -would come to see me, that he would write; but no one came, no one ever -wrote, they forgot me, abandoned me; that is all that I know, monsieur, -absolutely all; for if I knew anything else, why should I not tell it to -you, monsieur, as it might help me to find out who my parents are?" - -"Evelina de Paulausky!" exclaimed the count, pacing the floor. "At least -they had the decency to conceal their names! But Roncherolle? Why didn't -he give her his?--Because, after doing the wrong, he did not choose to -take the consequences, and they considered that the simplest way was to -abandon the child. Ah! the wretches!" - -Violette waited in fear and trembling for the count to speak to her; for -she saw from his excitement, and from the threatening expression of his -face, that he was still angry, and she dared not question him further; -but, as time passed and the count, absorbed in his reflections, -continued to pace the floor and to pay no attention to the girl, she -mustered all her courage and said to him at last: - -"Since you know my parents, monsieur, in pity's name be kind enough to -tell me who they are. Is my mother still alive?" - -"Your parents?" cried Brevanne, halting suddenly in front of the girl; -"your parents? Ah! you want to know who they are, do you? Well, learn -that you are the child of crime--treachery! Your mother was false to all -her duties, she was false to the oaths she had taken to an honorable -man, she was obliged to lay aside the name which she had sullied. Your -father! ah! your father betrayed friendship in the most dastardly way; -believing in nothing, respecting nothing, mocking at all that is held -sacred in the world, turning to ridicule the most sacred sentiments, he -betrayed his best friend!" - -"Oh! pity, pity for them, monsieur!" - -"Pity! why, you see that they had no pity for you;--for they abandoned -you--and now you think that I will take care of you,--of you, their -child, the fruit of their adulterous intercourse!--No, no! I do not want -to see you again; your presence reopens all my wounds.--Leave my house, -mademoiselle, and enter it no more." - -"Oh! pardon, pardon, monsieur! if I had known----" - -"As for this handkerchief, which belonged to your mother, I will keep -it, for there are monograms on it and a coat of arms which you have no -right to retain. Go, go; I do not want to see you any more; your -presence distresses me." - -Violette felt as if she were dying; but the count's wrath terrified her; -utterly crushed by what she had learned, she had not the strength to -say a word; she left the study and the house; two streams of tears -flowed from her eyes, and she did not think of wiping them away. She -crossed the lawn and went toward the gate; the gardener, who was still -there, struck by the girl's suffering, called to her, asked her why she -was weeping, and urged her to stop a moment in the summer-house, -observing that the weather was very threatening and that a storm was -brewing. Violette did not listen, or did not hear, but walked on at a -rapid pace, and soon passed through the gate and left the count's -residence behind. - -Despairing, humiliated, distressed beyond measure at having been so -maltreated by the man who had made Georget and his mother welcome, -Violette walked for a long time without any idea where she was going. -But what did it matter to her? She paid no heed to the road that she was -following, but she walked very quickly; not to gain shelter from the -rain which was beginning to fall, for she did not feel it; her head was -on fire, her limbs shook with fever; but she walked on, saying to -herself: - -"I am a child of crime! my mother was guilty, my father was false to -friendship! ah! no doubt that is the reason why he drives me from his -house, and forbids me to ask help and protection from him. Well, in that -case, it is not worth while to live; it was not enough to have been -abandoned by my parents; now that people know who I am, I must expect to -be turned away with contempt wherever I go. How he treated me, that -gentleman who is said to be so kind! Oh, no! I cannot live like this, I -am too unhappy. Despised by the whole world,--I had done nothing to -deserve that; and now my birth is thrown in my face! Did I ask to be -born?" - -Violette walked on, but darkness came on rapidly and soon she could see -nothing, and kept running against trees. She had gone astray in the wood -of Vincennes, and the rain was falling in torrents. The poor girl leaned -against a small tree, whose foliage was insufficient to protect her from -the storm; but she did not notice the water which drenched her garments, -for she was absorbed by her grief. A little covered wagon, drawn by a -meagre horse, passed along the road by the side of which Violette had -stopped; a peasant, who was inside, saw the girl exposed to the fury of -the storm; he stopped his wagon and called out to her: - -"You are not in a very good place there; you are getting the whole of -it; get in with me; if you are going to Paris, I'll put you down at the -Barriere de Belleville." - -"Thanks, monsieur, thanks, it isn't worth while;" replied Violette in a -feeble voice. "I am all right here." - -"All right! oh, yes! you are all right to catch a sickness; I won't -leave a woman in the woods at this time of night, and in such weather as -this!--Oho! you don't want to get in, don't you?--Well, I am going to -make you! yes, I tell you you've got to get in!" - -The peasant jumped down from his wagon, took the girl under the arms, -forced her to the step, put one foot upon it and at last succeeded in -making her get in. Violette submitted like a child. The peasant seated -her upon his cabbages and carrots, saying: - -"You will be better in here than under that little tree, catching all -the rain; you're wet through already, and I'm sure that's what made you -numb. Poor girl, she can't talk nor move her legs; but the jolting of -the wagon will warm her up.--Come on, get up, Blanchet!" - -Blanchet started; the cart, having no springs, did in fact shake its -occupants in a fashion well calculated to rouse their wits. Violette -submitted to the jolting, and said nothing; she seemed indifferent to -all that went on about her; she understood but one thing, and that was -that she ought not to live any longer, because she would be despised by -everybody; she was unhappy enough when she went to Nogent in the -morning; now she was desperate, and she came away from there with death -in her heart; she had hoped to find consolation and protection there, -but she had found shame and contempt; she had been turned away, and she -did not feel that she had the strength to endure that last affront. - -The peasant who had taken the girl into his wagon did not notice her -gloomy despair; as he talked all the time, as he asked questions and -answered them all himself, other persons did not need to open their -mouths with him; his mouth was a word-mill, which was always at work. -Thus they arrived at the Barriere de la Courtille, where the peasant -stopped Blanchet, and said to the girl: - -"My child, this is where I stop; I can't take you any further. But here -you are in Paris, and the best part of it is that the rain has stopped; -indeed I believe that the weather is going to be fine again; it wouldn't -surprise me. I will help you down, for you must have limbered up by now, -haven't you? My wagon always produces that effect. Come, lean on -me--that's the way! You see, there's Faubourg du Temple in front of you, -and the boulevard's at the end of it. That's the way you want to go; all -right, good luck; but you'd better dry yourself as soon as you get -home." - -The peasant left the young girl and entered a wine shop. Violette had -not even found a word of thanks to say to the good-natured man; she was -in the street, she looked at the barrier, passed her hand over her -forehead as if to collect her thoughts, then entered Paris, saying to -herself: - -"I know where I am, the canal is over yonder!" - -Violette was no longer weeping, her eyes were dry. She walked rapidly -through the faubourg, and when she reached the canal, instead of -crossing the bridge, she turned to the left and walked for some time -along the bank. It was ten o'clock at night, and there were few people -on the path that she followed. A fatal idea had taken possession of the -girl's mind--she was determined to die; she thought that she was -dishonored because the man whose assistance she had implored had turned -her out of his house. She said to herself that Georget could never love -her again now, and she was resolved to rid herself of an existence which -would henceforth be nothing but torture to her. - -Suddenly she stopped and looked about her; no one was passing. She -stepped over the chain which was between her and the edge of the canal. -In front of her there was a large coal barge; she hesitated a moment, -then she reflected that she could throw herself into the water from the -barge without being seen. She crossed a plank and was soon aboard of the -barge; and before jumping into the water, she fell to her knees and -murmured this prayer: - -"O my God! forgive me; it is a crime that I am about to commit, but I no -longer feel strong enough to endure life, to be despised by everybody, -although I have not committed the sins of which I am accused. He can no -longer love me, for his protector turns me out of his house; but perhaps -he will regret me, and will learn some day that I was innocent." - -She had no sooner finished these words than she rose and rushed forward; -but someone who was hidden within a few steps of her and who had heard -her prayer, stepped out and stopped her, holding her in a powerful -grasp, and exclaiming: - -"Upon my word! jump into the water! by all that's good! you shan't do -it. God help me! how glad I am that I happened to be here, and that I -took Pere Chiffon's place as watchman on the barge! Poor Mamzelle -Violette! you--mean to die?" - -"Yes, because I am despised by everyone." - -"Oh! you won't be any more, mamzelle, you won't be any more! In the -first place, not by me, Chicotin, for I heard you just now talking to -the good Lord, and people don't lie to Him. I heard you, poor girl! you -are innocent, and I understand how you must have suffered; but I will be -one of the first to do you justice." - -And Chicotin fell on his knees before the girl, took off his cap, and -said to her in a humble voice: - -"Mamzelle, I ask your pardon for suspecting you, for believing ugly -things that were said about you. To-day I would swear before all the -magistrates that you have never ceased to be virtuous. So forgive me, -mamzelle, for suspecting you." - -Chicotin's touching act, the words that he had uttered, revolutionized -Violette's whole being; her tears flowed afresh, but this time they were -soothing and relieved her; her heart expanded, she breathed more freely, -it seemed to her that she had returned to life. She held out her hands -to the young messenger, saying: - -"Thanks, thanks, my friend; what you have done is well, I feel greatly -relieved; yes, I no longer feel as I did; it seems to me as if you had -relieved me of a heavy load that I was carrying here on my breast. Ah! I -do not want to die now." - -"Is that really so, Mamzelle Violette, is it really so? I tell you, that -if I was still uneasy about that, I wouldn't leave you any more than -your shadow." - -"No, Chicotin, I no longer want to die, I swear; you have brought me -back to life; and now, I will tell you that I am glad that you prevented -me from carrying out my fatal design." - -"Ah! that's what I call talking; but what was the cause of this attack -of despair? Has somebody else been making you unhappy?" - -Violette told Chicotin about her trip to Nogent, and of how she had been -treated by Georget's protector. - -"Mamzelle," said the young messenger, "that isn't natural; to make that -gentleman, that people tell so much good about, get so angry with you, -there must be something about your birth that isn't clear, and that -worries him tremendously. Ah! if Georget had seen you sent away like -that, I am very sure that he would have taken up your defence!" - -"No, for he believes me guilty, he despises me." - -"Oh, I will open his eyes, I will!" - -"What I regret is that Monsieur Malberg kept that handkerchief, which -was all that I had that belonged to my parents; for he said he wouldn't -give it back to me." - -"Oh! never fear, mamzelle, he'll have to give it back to you; I'll see -to that.--But come, mamzelle, let's go away from here; I will take you -home. The coal can look out for itself; besides, you live here in the -faubourg, I believe." - -"No, Chicotin; I have taken another room in a quieter house, on Rue de -Crussol, and I've been living there a week." - -"Rue de Crussol! I have a customer there. It would be funny if it was -the same house. Come, mamzelle, take my arm; you are trembling and cold; -I'll bet that you've got a fever." - -"Perhaps so, a little; I got wet through; I have just come from Nogent, -and I was out in part of the storm." - -"You must go to bed at once when you get home, and try to keep very -warm." - -Violette took the young messenger's arm. They crossed the bridge at Rue -d'Angouleme, and soon reached Rue de Crussol. The girl stopped in front -of the house where Chicotin had found rooms for Roncherolle. - -"This is the place," said Violette. - -"Ah! what a coincidence! this is my customer's house. Which floor do you -live on?" - -"Oh! way up at the top, under the eaves; I believe it's the sixth floor; -but the room is very pleasant, I assure you." - -"That must be right over my gouty man. Is Mere Lamort your concierge?" - -"Yes, a very good-hearted woman who always wants to get my breakfast." - -"Well, mamzelle, take my advice and tell her to bring you up a mulled -egg to-night; that will prevent you from being sick. Good-night, -mamzelle; when I go to see my old gentleman, I'll ask the concierge -about you. You don't bear me any grudge, mamzelle, do you?" - -"Oh! no indeed, Chicotin; on the contrary, you prevented me from -committing a crime, and you have brought hope back to my heart." - -"Good-night then, mamzelle; I'll go back to look after the coal." - - - - -XXXV - -THE VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE - - -Let us turn back a little and pay a visit to Madame de Grangeville, whom -we left at the moment when she found herself alone with her husband, in -the little wood belonging to Monsieur Glumeau. - -That meeting excited the lady intensely, not with that emotion which -makes the heart beat fast by recalling pleasant memories, for the -baroness had always been too much of a flirt to be sentimental; but the -sight of her husband had caused her anxiety, almost terror; then, -turning back for a moment to the past and comparing it with her present -situation, she had been unable to keep from regretting the position -which she occupied when she was Comtesse de Brevanne, and the fortune -which permitted her to gratify all her whims. - -The five hundred francs which Monsieur de Merval had handed her, on the -pretence that he owed them to her, had not lasted long in the hands of a -woman who had always been a consumer of money. - -When Madame de Grangeville saw at a milliner's a hat or a bonnet to her -liking, she must have it, no matter at what price. As for the interior -of her establishment, we have seen that she turned over the management -of it to her maid Lizida; the result was that the creditors were -numerous. - -On the morning after the little party given by the Glumeaus, at which -the baroness was present, she rang for Lizida the instant she woke. - -"Did madame enjoy herself yesterday at Nogent?" asked the maid. "Madame -returned at daybreak, I believe. Was there a carriage there to bring -madame back to Paris?" - -"Oh! my dear Lizida, I have many things to tell you. Yes, some young -gentlemen brought me back in their carriage. They were very -good-looking, those same young gentlemen, and dressed in the latest -fashion. But if you knew whom I met at the party! I am still all of a -quiver thinking of it!" - -"Some suitor, some lover of madame, who would have liked to abduct her -by force, to carry her off into the country?" - -"Oh, no! you are nowhere near it!--At that party I met--my husband!" - -"Is it possible?" - -"Yes, Lizida, and you must understand how that upset me. Luckily it was -in the woods; he was not very near me, but I recognized him instantly; -he has hardly changed at all; it is surprising, but I really thought -that he was better-looking than he used to be." - -"And of course he recognized madame too?" - -"Oh! instantly; I saw that by his expression." - -"He looked at madame with affection, I warrant?" - -"No, there was no affection in his eyes. He is such a proud man, so -absurdly proud! Just imagine that everybody else had left, and we two -were all alone in the woods." - -"Did madame try to have an interview with her husband?" - -"No, I did not want to. But I don't know what the matter was with me; my -emotion took away all my strength, and I could not move; I was afraid." - -"What folly! and monsieur your husband took advantage of that moment to -fall at your knees, to ask your pardon for his base conduct----" - -"Oh! yes, of course! He glanced at me askance; he was leaning against a -tree, and I assure you that I didn't feel safe at all. Luckily the -company, disturbed at my non-appearance in the salon, sent three or four -young men to look for me; they found me in the woods, and I assure you -that I was very glad to go back with them." - -"And after that--your husband?" - -"Oh! he didn't come into the salon, and I was delighted. I didn't see -him again.--Well, Lizida, what do you say to all this?" - -"Faith, madame, I say that monsieur le comte certainly is not agreeable; -when he found himself alone with a charming little woman like madame, -after a long separation, then or never was the time to throw himself at -her feet, to be reconciled, and to come together again!" - -"Yes, it is certain that many husbands would have done that." - -"And madame is so kind, I am sure that she would have forgiven him." - -"That is very possible; but, however, that didn't happen. All the same, -I am delighted that that man saw me with the dress I wore yesterday; he -could not have suspected that I am short of money." - -"Madame's costume was certainly magnificent." - -"Just look in my bureau, Lizida, in the top drawer, and see how much -money I still have." - -Mademoiselle Lizida looked into the drawer and answered: - -"Madame, I find twenty francs." - -"What! only twenty francs! and you changed a note for five hundred only -a few days ago! It isn't possible; you haven't looked thoroughly." - -"I assure you, madame, that there is no more. But if madame will -remember all that she has spent, she will understand that there can -hardly be any more.--In the first place, we paid the dressmaker one -hundred and twenty-three francs, then the grocer ten francs, and after -that fifty more, because he came and made a row." - -"That is true; it is hateful to have to give so much money to those -people." - -"And then, madame bought that lovely hat that she wore yesterday--sixty -francs, I believe." - -"Yes, and that was none too much." - -"And then madame bought that superb silk dress with the figured -flounces--one hundred and twenty francs, I believe----" - -"Yes, it was as cheap as dirt!" - -"All these make nearly four hundred francs; and then there were -purchases at the perfumer's, gloves, and so forth; and then, we have had -to live. So madame sees that she can hardly have more than twenty francs -left." - -"That is true. Mon Dieu! how the money goes! somebody ought to invent -something else, of which one could have more. Well, I must not hesitate -any longer; whatever the course of the market, I must sell my Mouzaias!" - -Madame de Grangeville ordered her last resources sold; the securities -that had cost her two thousand francs produced barely nine hundred. With -that sum the baroness's household went on for some time; but as she -still had many debts and the creditors became threatening, it was -necessary to give them something on account; and with her mania for -gratifying all her fancies, Madame de Grangeville was incapable of -economizing. The result was that the end soon came of the proceeds of -the Mouzaias, and then she was obliged to forego gratifying her -caprices; then she was compelled, in spite of herself, to reflect, to -think of the future; and that was appalling for that woman, who had -never known how to occupy her time, even in those kinds of work which -well-born women do not disdain, and which become a resource when -adversity succeeds cloudless days. - -Madame de Grangeville was obliged constantly to send to the -Mont-de-Piete some article of clothing or some jewel, in order to obtain -money. She was surprised at the very small amounts which they advanced -on these objects, but Mademoiselle Lizida, who became much less amiable -as the resources diminished, did not scruple to say to her mistress: - -"Perhaps madame thinks that they will lend her what these cost! madame -imagines that the frippery for which she has paid so much has some -value. Not much! for example, a bonnet or a hat that madame paid forty -francs for at the Temple, they will advance fifteen sous on. And the -trouble is that madame bought such things so often; that is what ruined -us." - -"But that silk dress that you carried to-day to pawn, Lizida, is not -frippery; it is one I bought to go to the Glumeaus' at Nogent--about two -months ago; it isn't worn at all, and it cost me one hundred and twenty -francs." - -"True, but it's faded, and there's spots on it; madame spots her clothes -terribly; the design isn't fashionable any longer, nor is the color; in -fact, I shall have difficulty in getting twenty-two francs for it, and -that won't carry us far!" - -Madame de Grangeville heaved a profound sigh and said to herself: - -"What will happen when I have nothing more to pledge?" - -"Oh! you see, madame," rejoined the lady's maid, becoming more and more -familiar, "you didn't have any tact! when you met your husband in the -woods at Nogent, you ought to have made some advances, have smiled -graciously on him. A husband who is so rich, dear me! is worth a glance; -if you had made eyes at him, it would have flattered him, and he would -have come back to you." - -"I don't think so," replied Madame de Grangeville coldly. - -"Bless me!" rejoined the lady's maid; "unless that gentleman has some -reasons--well, I don't know the explanation!" - -Meanwhile the summer had given place to the autumn, and already new -necessities made themselves felt. Madame was cold in the morning and -wanted a fire in her room; but they often lacked wood, and instead of -trying to obtain some by playing the amiable with some new dealer, -Mademoiselle Lizida thought of nothing but looking for a new place, -having no desire to remain at a house where there were no more profits -to be had. Anxiety and annoyance aged Madame de Grangeville rapidly. In -six weeks she changed more than in six years. The deprivation of a -fashionable bonnet or hat was to that woman a sharper grief than all the -other events of her life. The wrinkles became more numerous and more -visible on her face, and she was forced to go without any of those -fashionable gewgaws with which a woman often conceals them. For a -coquette, that was the most cruel torture; she had not the courage to -endure her ill-fortune, and by worrying over it she made its ravages -more rapid. - -One morning, when the wind was blowing from the north and the baroness -absolutely insisted upon having a fire, Mademoiselle Lizida, having no -firewood, had already broken up a chair from the reception room, and -several mushroom boxes, with which she was preparing to make a brisk -blaze, when the concierge rang, and delivered a letter on which there -was nothing to pay. - -"A letter for madame," said Lizida, as she handed the missive to her -mistress. "Open it, madame; perhaps it's some good news. If somebody -should send you some money, how handily it would work in just now!" - -"I don't expect any," said the baroness. - -"An additional reason, madame; when one expects things, they don't come; -when one doesn't expect them, they come; and then, see what a lovely -square letter, with three wax seals." - -"That is true." - -"And the lovely handwriting; it is like copper-plate." - -"Yes, it is probably some circular from a scrivener. However, let us see -what it is." - -Madame de Grangeville had no sooner torn the envelope than several bank -notes fell out; she uttered a cry of surprise, while Mademoiselle Lizida -began to dance about the room, crying: - -"What did I tell you, madame? Bank notes! fortune is smiling on us -again! oh joy!" - -"One thousand, two thousand, five hundred--somebody has sent me two -thousand five hundred francs!" - -"Good! we can go on for some time with that." - -"By the way, Lizida, don't burn the mushroom boxes." - -"That's so; we may use them again." - -"Ah! here's a short letter with the notes; let me see who sends me this -money--'Madame, one of your old acquaintances, knowing that fortune is -not propitious at this moment, begs you to deign to accept this sum. -Every six months the same person will take the liberty of sending you -the same amount.'--And no signature." - -"Every six months as much! that is rather nice; that makes five thousand -francs a year for madame.--Ah! there's an agreeable acquaintance. But -still, it doesn't surprise me; for madame is so kind, so noble, so -generous when she has money, that it's no more than fair that somebody -should treat her in the same way. I will bet that this comes from -someone whom you have previously benefited. Does madame know the -writing?" - -"Dear me, no! the letter is written in the same hand as the address. It -is perfect writing--too good to be the writing of anyone who does not -make a business of it." - -"So madame does not know, does not guess, from whom this money comes?" - -"Oh! I guessed instantly. It's from the same man who obliged me once -before: dear De Merval! what a delicate creature! he does not want to -name himself now, he is afraid that I would refuse his help. Ah! how -that man loved me, Lizida! why didn't I marry him?" - -"Oh! it's a gentleman who was once in love with madame, is it?" - -"Yes, indeed, much in love!" - -"In that case, madame, this means that he is still. He must be a fine -man! to send bank notes, and not even be willing to be thanked! there -are not many friends so unselfish." - -Thanks to this gift, which Madame de Grangeville attributed to Monsieur -de Merval, that lady recovered her peace of mind. She had no more -anxiety for the future, and she could once more give all her attention -to her toilet, while Mademoiselle Lizida became as flattering as before. - -It was a few days after this event that Madame de Grangeville received -the bouquet which Roncherolle sent her by Chicotin. - -The name of Roncherolle could not fail to quicken the beating of the -woman's heart, who for that man's sake had lost the place in society -which she had occupied. For many years she had not heard her former -lover's name; she did not know whether he was still alive; and on -learning that he was in Paris, on receiving the bouquet which proved to -her that Roncherolle was still gallant, she fancied herself once more in -the days of her love-affairs; she persuaded herself that she had not -grown old, and she expected to find her lover still as deeply in love as -before. - -But the gout had prevented the gallant from following the bouquet; and -in order not to allow the lady to think that he had forgotten her, we -have seen that he ordered Chicotin to call upon Madame de Grangeville -again and to present to her this time a bunch of violets. - -"I am deeply touched by Monsieur de Roncherolle's souvenirs," the -baroness said to the young messenger. "But although I love bouquets, -say to him who sends you that I should much prefer to see him than these -flowers. Why does he not come himself?" - -Chicotin did not reply: "Because he has the gout;" for Roncherolle had -forbidden him to mention that. He said whatever came into his head, and -returned to make a report of his errand. - -But a few days later, Roncherolle, feeling able to walk, bent his steps -toward Madame de Grangeville's abode. - - - - -XXXVI - -TWO FORMER LOVERS - - -"Madame, there is a gentleman here who wishes to see you," said Lizida -to her mistress one day. - -"Did he give his name?" - -"He would not; he says that he prefers to afford madame the pleasure of -recognizing him." - -"It is Monsieur de Merval, no doubt--the same gentleman who came last -summer?" - -"Oh, no! it's not that gentleman, madame; I should have recognized him. -It's one whom I never saw before." - -"What sort of looking man? Has he a distinguished appearance? is he -stylishly dressed?" - -"So far as being distinguished goes--yes, madame. He acts as if he was -in the habit of being waited on. As for his dress, why, his clothes -don't look as if they'd just come from the tailor's!" - -"Arrange my cap, Lizida; does my hair look well?" - -"Madame is pretty enough to paint." - -"Well then, show the gentleman in; if by any chance it's the unknown -friend who sends me bank notes!" - -"Oh! he doesn't look like it, madame; or else he's well disguised." - -The maid left the room, and in a moment Roncherolle was ushered into his -old friend's presence. - -Madame de Grangeville was seated on a _causeuse_, dressed in a pretty -morning gown, with a charming cap on her head, beneath which great -clusters of hair, curled _a la neige_, served as a frame to a face which -unfortunately could not be arranged like the hair. The days of privation -had left accursed traces which refused to disappear, despite cosmetics -and inventions of the perfumer. Wrinkles are most persistent -acquaintances; when they once visit us, they never go away. - -Roncherolle had made himself as fine as possible; his linen was -extremely white, his whole costume scrupulously neat. Unluckily that -immaculate neatness could not prevent his coat's being threadbare, his -overcoat shabby and of an old-fashioned cut, his trousers of a color -that was no longer worn, his waistcoat very ragged on the edges, and his -hat much too glossy from overmuch brushing. - -Despite all this, however, the former king of fashion presented himself -with his distinguished manners of long ago; but he dragged his left leg -a little, leaned heavily on his cane, and on removing his hat disclosed -a grizzled and almost bald head. - -"Here I am, _belle dame_! It is I! Better late than never, eh?" - -As he spoke, Roncherolle halted in front of Madame de Grangeville and -scrutinized her with a peculiar expression; on her side, that lady -examined closely and with an air of amazement the man before her, and -tried to think where she had seen him before. - -"Well! can it be that you don't recognize me?" continued Roncherolle, -walking still nearer, the better to see the baroness; and he added, like -a person who fears that he has made a mistake: - -"Surely it is Madame de Grangeville to whom I have the honor of -speaking?" - -"Yes, monsieur; and you are----" - -"De Roncherolle, at your service, if you will permit." - -"Roncherolle; is it possible? is it really you?" - -"Why, yes, it is really I, my dear Lucienne." - -"Dear fellow! What a pleasure to see you again! Come and sit here, -beside me." - -Roncherolle limped to the _causeuse_, saying to himself: - -"_Bigre!_ how old she is! what a ruin!" - -While the baroness thought: - -"How he has changed! how ugly he has grown! I should never have known -him!" - -"Tell me, my dear friend," said Roncherolle, making himself comfortable -on the _causeuse_, "didn't you expect a visit from me? Didn't you -receive my bouquets?" - -"I beg pardon; indeed I expected you, and most impatiently, I assure -you; but the fact is----" - -"That I am devilishly changed, eh? What can you expect? time spares no -one; and then the gout--that makes one suffer, it wears one out!" - -"Have you had the gout?" - -"Yes; indeed I have it now." - -"That accounts for it then; I noticed in your gait something--that you -used not to have." - -"I should say so; I limp like an old horse!" - -"You have lost your hair too." - -"I have lost a lot of things." - -"You are no longer as slender as you used to be." - -Roncherolle, beginning to be weary of these remarks, replied with his -ironical air, pretending to laugh: - -"Ha! ha! what do you expect, my dear friend? We aren't either of us what -we were twenty years ago! You yourself haven't that wasp-like waist that -called forth universal admiration, and those irreproachable teeth that -drove all women to despair." - -Madame de Grangeville flushed and bit her lips in anger. She tried, -however, to maintain an affable manner as she said: - -"Ah! so you find me changed? That is strange; there are people who -declare that I am just the same." - -"That is because those people haven't passed twelve years without seeing -you. But we two old friends, old acquaintances, have not met to flatter -each other. Bless me! we know each other too intimately and of too long -date not to be frank between ourselves. Poor Lucienne! ha! ha!" - -"Well, monsieur! what makes you laugh like that, pray?" - -"Because I am thinking; I remember that you used to ride like an angel -in the old days; and I myself was a very good horseman. We sat in our -saddles, I like Baucher, you like a bareback rider at the Hippodrome. -Well, just imagine us now if we should have to mount a horse!--Ha! ha! -ha!" - -Madame de Grangeville made an impatient gesture and turned her head -away, saying to herself: - -"Mon Dieu! what wretched _ton_ he has now!" - -"But let us drop that, my dear, and talk of our affairs a little. We -parted twelve years ago--on rather bad terms, as I remember; but we were -still lovers then, and lovers often quarrel; at all events, two people -can't love each other forever--it grows monotonous. To-day there's no -question of all that; we are old friends, and you cannot doubt the -interest that I take in whatever concerns you." - -"Interest! it seems to me, however, that you have displayed very little -interest in me. I have passed twelve years without a word from monsieur; -at that time my fortune was already much impaired, and since then I have -had time to become ruined altogether, to be reduced to a very -straitened, very embarrassing position; but have you troubled yourself -about it? Not the least in the world! And yet it seems to me, monsieur, -that if you had had any affection for me, if you had taken any interest -in me, you would have had an opportunity to prove it." - -"Come, come, _belle dame_, let us not lose our tempers, and above all -let us not condemn without a hearing. You accuse me wrongfully. In the -first place, I supposed that you were still in comfortable circumstances -at least; and in the second place, I myself have not been for a long -time in a position to assist my friends. I did it often -formerly,--without reciprocity; but that would not have prevented me -from continuing to do it if fortune had permitted. But she turned her -back on me, she deserted me utterly; I treated her too cavalierly and -she bore me ill-will. I was unlucky in everything--cards, bets, races, -investments; it was impossible for me to retrieve myself in any -direction! And what remains now of a handsome property?--some claims on -which I can collect nothing, and a few wretched industrial stocks, which -I am obliged to sell in order to live, and which will soon be all gone; -that is where I am now; so that I can't think of others, being always -compelled to think of myself; that is reasonable." - -"Ah! so you are reduced to that!" rejoined Madame de Grangeville coldly, -casting from time to time an inquisitive glance at the different parts -of her former lover's attire. "That is very sad. I understand now. I -said to myself: 'Why, Monsieur de Roncherolle, who was always so -elegant, so coquettish in his dress--why does he neglect himself so?' -But of course, if you can't do otherwise!" - -Roncherolle bit his lips, swaying back and forth on the _causeuse_, and -replied: - -"Oh! that is the least of my troubles! I attach little importance to -those trifles now. At our age, you see, my dear friend, coquetry serves -no purpose, unless it be to make us ridiculous! When the time has come, -it's no use to paint and bedeck ourselves--it doesn't take away either a -wrinkle or a year!" - -"He has become painfully tiresome, has this man," thought Madame de -Grangeville, as she put a phial of salts to her nose. After a moment, -she rejoined with a nonchalant air: - -"Thank heaven! everybody hasn't deserted me; I have some friends who -remember doubtless that I obliged them formerly, and one of them is -giving me an allowance of five thousand francs at this moment." - -"The devil! that is handsome, that is very handsome! Is it a male or a -female friend who treats you in such magnificent fashion?" - -"Mon Dieu! I have no idea! the person doesn't divulge his name; he -prefers to remain anonymous, in order not to be thanked even. Isn't that -a noble act?" - -"Superb! and I regret exceedingly my inability to be the author of it. -But you must certainly be able to guess, despite the mystery with which -this person surrounds himself." - -"No--that is to say, I have some suspicions, which I believe to be well -founded." - -"Indeed! but it seems that you did not suspect me?" - -"Oh, no! not for one moment!" - -"That is very amiable on your part." - -"You see that I was right." - -"But you were not aware of my unfortunate plight." - -"What does that matter? as if you would ever have thought of me!" - -"That is an extraordinary reproach! It seems to me that I proved to you -abundantly that I thought of you in the old days." - -"Yes, yes,--unfortunately.--Ah! if one could foresee what is going to -happen, if one could read the future!" - -"True! there are lots of things that one would not do--that one bitterly -regrets having done!" - -A long silence ensued. Madame de Grangeville broke it by exclaiming -suddenly: - -"You could never guess whom I met in the country last summer--Monsieur -le Comte de Brevanne!" - -"Really?" - -"Yes, at a party, in a wood, where there were a great many people. I saw -him at a distance in the crowd; I saw that he was looking at me and that -he recognized me." - -"Do you think so?" - -"Do I think so! It was evident enough, for his manner was very agitated. -I too recognized him instantly; he has changed hardly at all, except -that his hair is turning gray; the face is still the same; he is -good-looking--yes, he is a very handsome man!" - -"Had you never discovered that before?" - -"What an unkind thing to say to me!" - -"Well! did you speak?" - -"No; I am inclined to think that he was strongly tempted to speak to me; -he hovered about me in the wood, and he was on the point of speaking to -me, I believe, when some people came up; they surrounded me, took me -away, and I lost sight of him. He must have gone away, for I didn't see -him again during the evening." - -"And that is all?" - -"Yes, all." - -"Well, madame, I too have seen Brevanne, and not very long ago." - -"Is it possible? Did you meet him?" - -"No, he came to the house in which I was living, expressly to see me; he -had learned my address by chance." - -"He came to see you--for what purpose?" - -"Why, for the same purpose that led him to seek me everywhere twenty -years ago--to fight me." - -"To fight you! nonsense! it's impossible!" - -"Why impossible, I pray to know?" - -"Because men don't fight after so long a time for things--which have no -present existence." - -"Ah! very prettily put; I am sorry that your husband didn't hear it! But -although in fact the motive for fighting is lacking now--the present -existence--De Brevanne is still bent upon it--oh! obstinately bent upon -it. Probably he has been looking for me constantly, for twenty years; -and he had no sooner learned where I was--was perched, than he rushed to -the spot, the same as ever, waving his sword, to demand satisfaction. -But as I was suffering then from a violent attack of the gout, the sight -of my agony convinced him that I was not in condition to stand up to -him; so he granted me a respite." - -"Then it is only postponed; you will end by fighting, I see." - -"I admire the stoicism of your nature; you say that as if you were -talking about your husband and myself going to the Opera ball!" - -"Mon Dieu! you have become very censorious, very severe! Should I weep -when I say it?" - -"No; indeed that is not your nature; you were never very tearful. To -make you shed tears it would be necessary that your hair should be -unbecomingly dressed at a large party; and that is an accident to which -you were never likely to be exposed." - -"You are still satirical, caustic, as always, Monsieur de Roncherolle!" - -"If you find anything about me that has not changed, I am delighted -beyond measure." - -"A truce to jesting, monsieur; when is this duel to take place? I beg -you to believe that I am deeply interested." - -"Don't be alarmed, madame, the duel will not take place. I am as -obstinate as De Brevanne. I have sworn not to afford him the chagrin of -killing me, and I shall keep my oath." - -"The chagrin! so you think that the count would regret it if he should -kill you?" - -"I am sure of it; and it would be even worse now than if he had killed -me long ago." - -"You are a surprising creature, on my word! A man who has been seeking -you for so many years so persistently! You must see that he is as -furious as ever against you; consequently, I fancy that he would not -grieve very bitterly over your death!" - -"You are wrong, madame; the count is no longer furious with me; rage -doesn't last twenty years; it dies long before that time. It is nothing -but the sentiment of honor that impels your husband now; and that -sentiment would not stifle the regret that he would feel if he should -kill a man whom he once loved with the most sincere affection." - -"But whom he now holds in the greatest possible detestation!" - -"No, madame, I assure you that he no longer detests me. When a man grows -old, he remembers the happy days of his youth much more vividly than the -troubles of his maturer years; the latter are effaced in the jolting and -hurly-burly of life; the first remain and rise to the surface, to divert -our thoughts, to charm our memories--and that is why I believe that De -Brevanne no longer detests me.--What I say surprises you--you do not -agree with me; but women do not understand friendship!" - -"You have an amusing way of practising it! However, how do you propose -to prevent this duel?" - -"As I have prevented it for twenty years; I propose to elude the count's -search. I have moved already; I no longer live in furnished lodgings, -and I should be very much astonished if he should find me where I am -now." - -Madame de Grangeville said nothing more; Roncherolle seemed to reflect; -and the ex-lovers were silent for a considerable time. At last the gouty -gentleman put out his hand toward his hat, and seemed about to go, when -his former friend detained him, saying with some hesitation: - -"Monsieur de Roncherolle, I have something to say to you on another -subject of--of deep interest to us both." - -"A subject of interest to us both?" repeated Roncherolle, replacing his -hat on the table; "you surprise me; I thought that we no longer had -anything of interest to say to each other. What is it all about?" - -"You must have a very short memory, monsieur, since it is necessary for -me to remind you of that--that result of our liaison--of our -wrong-doing, alas!" - -"Ah, yes! thrice alas!" - -"Well, monsieur, that child, that little girl--for it was a girl--tell -me, monsieur, what became of her? Formerly, when I questioned you on -that subject, you always answered: 'Don't be disturbed, I know where she -is, we shall find her again.'--But that was more than twelve years ago, -monsieur, and it seems to me that it is high time that I should know -what became of that child!" - -Roncherolle moved about on the _causeuse_ as he replied: - -"Yes, yes, that is very true; there is the subject of the little girl; I -had forgotten about her entirely, and you will understand in a moment -why I had forgotten her; it was because it would have done no good to -think of her, for I have no idea what became of her after I put her out -to nurse." - -"You don't know what became of her! why, that is abominable, monsieur, -it is frightful; you break my heart!" - -"No fine words, my dear friend. I beg you; with me, as you must know, -they will miss their effect; I break nothing at all of yours; for if you -had chosen to be a mother, to know and to enjoy the happiness which that -title affords, you would not have begun by begging me to rid you of your -child as soon as possible the instant that it came into the world." - -"Monsieur, that is not true; you insult me, you slander me!" - -"You are beginning again. Come, Lucienne, stop acting and listen to me. -When you were in an interesting condition and on the point of emerging -from it, we were journeying through the fertile pastures of Normandie; -suddenly the fancy seized you to visit Ermenonville, the village that -became so famous because a so-called philosopher--for I consider that -that Monsieur Jean-Jacques had little claim as such, and that a man can -hardly call himself the friend of mankind when he constantly inflicts -injury on those who have conferred benefits on him--but no matter, he -made the village of Ermenonville famous by living there, and especially -by being buried there. I remarked to you that it was imprudent to -approach Paris, where your husband might be, especially in your -condition; but you were always obstinate in your whims, and I have never -been able to thwart a lady. We reached Ermenonville in horrible weather; -very good. The next day you felt ill and insisted on returning to Paris, -to be sure of having all the necessary assistance in your condition; -that was another imprudence. But no matter--I yielded. We reached Paris; -we had hardly arrived, when whom should we see on the street but your -husband! Very good; he didn't see us; you wanted to go away again, but -it was too late; you brought a daughter into the world.--- In the -confusion and embarrassment into which that event, anticipated though it -was, cast us, you began by saying to me: 'Take the child away at once! -find a nurse instantly, and let her go back to her home in the country -this very day,'--I continued to do your will; I carried the little -one--who was a sweet little thing, on my word!--to a room above yours, -which I was occupying temporarily; and I said to my servant--I had -Comtois then, a most intelligent fellow, whom I could never replace--I -told him to find me a stout, healthy nurse. Comtois went away and very -soon returned with the desired object: she was a peasant woman of -excellent appearance--a Picard. I remember distinctly that she was a -Picard. I gave her the child, and she raved over her; then she asked me -for the _layette_; I confess that that embarrassed me sadly; you ought -to have thought of that, madame, but you never considered it. I gave her -all that I found at my hand: trousers, dressing-gown, shirts, cravats; -I remember too that I gave her a handkerchief that belonged to you, and -that I happened to have in my pocket. The nurse laughed heartily when I -gave her all those things. I handed her a hundred francs in addition. -She made a price for nursing the child, and it wasn't exorbitant. She -asked me the little girl's names, but you and I had not fixed upon any. -I said to the Picard: 'You may call the child Evelina de -Paulausky'--yes, those are the names I gave her; I had just read a novel -the heroine of which bore that name.--I then asked the nurse for her -name and address, so that I might send her money and have news of the -child. She gave them to me, and then she started off with her nursling. -It was all arranged very quickly, as you see." - -"Certainly, monsieur, I have nothing to reproach you for, up to that -point--except the _layette_, which you might have bought." - -"That is to say, which you should have bought beforehand." - -"Oh! monsieur, when one is travelling all the time, has one any -opportunity to make purchases?" - -"In that case, madame, when could I have bought it, as I was travelling -with you?--Besides, is that sort of thing a man's business?" - -"Well, monsieur, let us drop that and return to the nurse. You heard -from the child through her? you sent her money?" - -"I never heard from the nurse, madame, for the very simple reason that I -did not give her my address; I refrained, from prudential motives; and -then too we were always in flying camp at that time, and I really don't -know what address I could have given her." - -"Then, monsieur, you must have written to her?" - -"Mon Dieu! that is what I expected to do, and to send her some money; -and then I would have given her an address, _poste restante_, so that -she might answer me. But at that point difficulties arose. Imagine, if -you please, that, when that woman gave me her name and address, I did -not take the precaution to write them down at once; we were in such a -hurry, so completely upset! What with giving my clothes for the -_layette_, and the child's crying, and your sending to ask what was -going on--in short, I didn't write down the confounded address at the -time, feeling sure that I should remember it. The nurse went away. We -had a thousand things to do: I had to obtain money to resume our -travels, and we were constantly beset by the fear of being discovered by -your husband.--As you will remember, we started for the Pyrenees as soon -as you were in a condition to endure the journey." - -"I know all that--well?" - -"At last, one fine day, you asked me about the child. I answered: 'She -is well; she must be all right.' But that reminded me that I had -neglected to send the nurse any money since the little one came into the -world, six months before. I said to myself: 'Pardieu! I must repair that -neglect.'--I instantly wrote a few lines in haste, but when it came to -writing the woman's name and address, I could not possibly remember -them! She was from Picardie, and her first name was Marguerite; but -Marguerite what? there are Marguerites everywhere! And the name of that -wretched village--I could not remember that either!--I said to myself: -'A little patience and it will come back to me.'--Six more months passed -and I thought again of the child; I tried once more to remember the -nurse's address; but I could not recall it!" - -"And you kept telling me that the child was well!" - -"What would you have had me tell you? I couldn't say that she was ill, -because I didn't know.--In short, for nineteen years I have tried very -often to think of that address, but it hasn't come back to me yet." - -"And so, monsieur, by your fault, I am deprived of my daughter forever, -and the poor child is without a family! It is shocking!" - -"Pardon me, madame, pardon me; on mature reflection--in the little one's -behalf first of all--I am not sure that it is a great calamity that she -has never known the secret of her birth; she would still have been in a -false position; and then life in Paris wouldn't have been as good for -her health as the fresh country air--especially in Picardie. That's an -excellent region; they drink cider there, which is very healthy. If she -is still alive, I am sure that she must be in good health. She lives in -the fields and woods--bless my soul! she is happier, no doubt, than she -would be here; especially as I could never give her an establishment -with the remains of my fortune." - -"But what of me, monsieur?--do you make no account of my regrets? I am -deprived of my daughter's caresses!" - -"I beg pardon, madame, but the longing for those caresses takes you -rather tardily." - -"Why, monsieur, it is twelve years since I last saw you." - -"But for seven years we were almost never apart, and you were perfectly -willing to leave the child at nurse; you asked me about her -sometimes--at long intervals; but you never said: 'Do send for -her.'--You thought that the attention you would have to give the child -would disturb your pleasures; and for my part, I believe that her -presence would embarrass you even more now; for the girl is nineteen -years old; and a daughter of nineteen would be terribly repugnant to -you; she might rob you of conquests!" - -"Monsieur, you do not mean to insult me, I trust?" - -"By no means, my dear friend! We have had an explanation, and I have -confessed the truth. 'I had to do it!' as Bilboquet says; and now I will -take my cane and my hat and return to my Marais." - -"Do you live in the Marais? What a horrible neighborhood!" - -"Oh, no! however, one lives where one can! I have not, as you have, -anonymous admirers who make me an allowance; but I congratulate you; you -can still gratify your taste for pleasure, for fine clothes. I consider -you very rich now--compared with myself." - -"No, indeed! no, indeed!" Madame de Grangeville replied eagerly, with an -embarrassed air. "I have only what I need to live; a woman requires so -many things, you know; it would be impossible for me to accommodate -anybody." - -Roncherolle put on his hat, leaned on his cane and exclaimed with a -savage glance at the baroness: - -"Did you suppose by any chance, madame, that I intended to ask you for -anything, or to borrow anything of you? I hoped that you had lived with -me long enough to know me. I have spent a devilish lot of money on -women; they have led me into all sorts of folly, but nothing base. I -have ruined myself for them, and I had a right to do it. I have made -love to them much, loved them sometimes, deceived them often; but thank -God! I have never accepted anything from them; I am entitled to say to -them just what I think, and I avail myself of that right on -occasion.--My respects, my affectionate friend!" - -With these words, Roncherolle bowed to Madame de Grangeville with a -mocking expression, and left her apartment, saying to himself: - -"Ah! these women whose lives have been nothing but coquetry--when you -search their hearts, what a barren soil you find! Sow benefactions there -and you never reap anything but ingratitude." - -As for Madame de Grangeville, as soon as her former lover had left her, -she called her maid and said: - -"If by any chance that gentleman should come again to see me, Lizida, I -shall not be at home to him! The idea! a ruined man, who dresses -shabbily, who drags one leg, and who has nothing but disagreeable things -to say!" - -"Madame is quite right. That is a good sort of man to keep out." - - - - -XXXVII - -THE CONCIERGE-NURSE - - -In a hasty, violent, nervous disposition, wrath is quick to come; it -bursts out violently, but it does not last long; the heart that feels -the most profoundly the wounds that it receives, is also the most -sensitive to the tears that it sees shed, and it very speedily repents -of the pain it has inflicted. - -The Comte de Brevanne, who had only a few hours before acquired the -certainty that his wife had had a child by Roncherolle, had been unable -to control his wrath and his jealousy when their child appeared before -him; at the first blush, he had imagined that it was a fresh insult, an -additional affront purposely put upon him. All his sufferings, all his -anguish had returned to his mind and to his heart, and we have seen how, -as a result of all these circumstances, he had received poor Violette. - -But when a half hour had passed after the young girl's departure, the -count, who had remained alone in his study, had had time to grow calm; -moreover, the storm that was in the air had broken, the rain was falling -in torrents; at such times nervous people always feel relieved, they -breathe more freely, their brain becomes clearer and their irritation -falls with the rain. - -Brevanne looked about him, passed his hand over his forehead, and said -to himself: - -"So that girl has gone. How I treated her! why, I must have lost my -reason. She came here to ask me for help, for protection, and I brutally -sent her away, drove her out of doors. Poor child! is it her fault that -she is the fruit of adultery? She does not know who her mother is, as -she came to ask me for information concerning her parents. They -shamelessly abandoned her, and I turn her out of doors! Can it be that I -propose to be as shameless as they? Ah! I behaved very badly. And this -storm--great heavens! the rain is falling in sheets. Can she have gone -away in such weather?" - -The count rang violently and Pongo quickly answered. - -"Master, he ring?" - -"Yes; that young girl from Paris who came just now to speak to me--where -is she? Go and find her, and bring her back; I don't want her to go -away." - -"Yes, master." - -And the mulatto, who had seen no girl, ran all over the house, the -courtyard and the garden, shouting at the top of his voice: - -"Young girl from Paris! come right back. Master ask for you; master want -to see you. She no answer.--Oh! me find you!" - -Georget spied Pongo just at the moment that he was applying to a great -chestnut tree, saying to it: - -"You see young lady who come to speak to master?" - -"What are you doing there, Pongo?" - -"Monsieur Georget, me look for someone master want, and me no find." - -"And you are applying to that tree to learn where she is?" - -"Oh! he understand all right; he no speak, but he understand." - -"Whom are you looking for?" - -"A young girl from Paris, who come to speak to master; he no longer want -her to go away." - -"A young girl from Paris has been here to see Monsieur Malberg?" - -"Yes." - -"What was she like, Pongo? Describe her to me." - -"Me no see her. It was master, him tell me." - -"Who let her in then? Ah! there's the gardener." - -Georget ran to the gardener, and Pongo ran about the garden, talking to -the trees and the flowers. - -"Did you see this girl who came from Paris to speak to monsieur?" - -"Yes, to be sure; it was me who let her in and took her to the master." - -"What was she like?" - -"Pretty as a picture, on my word; she's a fine slip of a girl." - -"Did she tell you her name before you let her in?" - -"No, she said it wasn't worth while." - -"Did she stay long with monsieur?" - -"Why, yes, quite a while." - -"And she has gone?" - -"Yes, as much as half an hour ago; the storm was just beginning, and -when I saw that, I asked her to wait in my house; I told her she'd get -wet; but she wouldn't stop; she made me feel bad because she was -crying." - -"She was crying? What! she was crying when she left Monsieur Malberg?" - -"I should say so! big tears too! she looked as if she was in very great -trouble, but she started off all the same." - -Georget waited to hear no more; he ran to the count, and could hardly -say what he wished to, he was so excited. - -"Monsieur, the girl who came--a young girl came from Paris,--and talked -with you, monsieur?" - -"To be sure; well?" - -"Why, she went away again, monsieur; and the gardener noticed that when -she went away, she was crying, she was very unhappy." - -"Ah! she was crying?" - -"Yes, monsieur. I ask your pardon, monsieur, for questioning you; but -this girl--was it she, monsieur?" - -"She--who?" - -"Violette, monsieur, the little flower girl; the one that--you know, -monsieur." - -"No, no, it wasn't she;" replied the count, trying to calm Georget's -excitement. "Why do you suppose that that girl would come to see me?" - -"Mon Dieu! I don't know, monsieur; but as you spoke to her one day, in -Paris, I thought that perhaps she might have something to say to you. -But it wasn't she who came here and of course that makes a difference; -excuse me, monsieur." - -At that moment Pongo appeared in the count's apartment, all out of -breath, crying: - -"Master! master! girl from Paris--I no bring her back, her gone." - -"All right, I know it." - -"Oh yes; but me know from Thomas,--he meet her in the country, and her -out in all the storm! he call to her: 'stop, mamzelle; come, get under -cover.' But her run all the time just like her not hear, and her all -soaked with water. Poor girl, her get sick for sure!" - -The count turned pale, but he concealed his emotion and requested to be -left alone. Pongo went back to Carabi, saying: - -"He want to go out too; but me no want him to get wet like the young -girl; poor girl, in the fields when it storm; that not right!" - -Georget said no more; but although Monsieur de Brevanne had assured him -that the girl was not Violette, although he dared not doubt his -protector's words, yet he felt sad and oppressed, and he deeply -regretted that he had not seen the poor girl who had gone away weeping. - -Early the next morning, without a word to anybody, the count started for -Paris; and he had no sooner arrived than he betook himself to Boulevard -du Chateau d'Eau. The weather was cold but fine; it was one of those -beautiful autumn mornings when the sun shines on the yellow leaves and -promises a fine day. - -It was not a flower market day; but some of the flower girls were in -their places, none the less. As the count approached, he looked about -for Violette, but in vain. The girl, who was ordinarily so faithful to -her occupation, had not opened her booth, had not appeared in her place. - -Monsieur de Brevanne waited for a long time, walking back and forth on -the boulevard; he entered a cafe nearby, breakfasted, read the -newspapers, and then returned to the place where the flower girl always -stood; but Violette did not come. - -"She is probably kept away to-day by the necessity of buying flowers for -her trade," said the count to himself; "I will go back to Nogent and I -will see her to-morrow." - -But on the next day, the young flower girl was not in her place, and the -count was again obliged to go away without seeing her. - -The girl's health had been seriously impaired by the events and the -agitation resulting from her journey to Nogent. One does not experience -a violent disappointment with impunity; one does not defy the storm and -wind without feeling the effects of it. On leaving the coal barge, -Violette shivered on her companion's arm, and he noticed it; on reaching -her room, the girl had gone to bed at once, and on the next day, despite -her earnest desire to attend to her business, it had been impossible for -her to rise. - -Luckily, Mere Lamort was always at the service of her tenants. The -concierge passed her time going up and down the six flights of stairs in -her house. Her dog kept her lodge, and barked when anyone entered and -attempted to ascend the staircase. At that signal from her substitute, -Mere Lamort instantly went to the window of the floor where she happened -to be, and conversed from there with the persons who came to see some of -the tenants. - -Chicotin, who was now deeply interested in Violette's health, finding -that she did not come to the boulevard on the day following the evening -when he had prevented her from accomplishing her fatal design, did not -fail to go and enquire of the concierge, who replied: - -"The girl's sick and in bed; I am making her some herb tea, because that -breaks up a fever." - -The young messenger, whom Mere Lamort's information failed to reassure, -climbed the six flights rapidly and entered Violette's room; he found -her in bed, with the flushed face and hollow, burning eyes which -indicate a violent attack of fever. But the girl smiled at Chicotin and -offered him her hand, saying in a weak voice: - -"Thanks, Chicotin, for coming to see me; what you said last night was -true; that shower has made me sick; but it won't amount to anything." - -"Don't you want me to fetch a doctor, mamzelle?" - -"No, it's not necessary; it won't amount to anything. Besides, the -concierge is very kind, she takes good care of me." - -"She is going to bring you up some herb tea; but I will come every day -to find out how you are getting on,--twice a day rather than once." - -"I don't want to interfere with your work, my friend." - -"Oh! that won't interfere with me. In fact, I have a customer in your -house, just below you,--a gentleman who isn't always steady on his legs; -but just at present he seems to walk very well. Would you like me to -tell him to come up to see you? You see, he is no fool; he talks better -than I do." - -"Thanks, Chicotin, I don't need any company; I am never bored when I'm -alone, for I know how to read, I like to read; and besides that, I have -plenty to think about." - -"But not about such miserable things as you thought about yesterday?" - -"No, no; that's all over." - -"Good. I spoke to you about your neighbor because he ain't a young man -and it wouldn't make any gossip; but if you don't want him to come--Ah! -here's Mere Lamort with a pitcher in each hand. You will have something -nice.--Good-by, mamzelle, I'll come again soon." - -On leaving Violette, Chicotin met Monsieur de Roncherolle on the stairs, -going up to his room. - -"Ah! are you coming from my room, my boy?" said the gouty gentleman when -he recognized his usual messenger. - -"No, bourgeois, no; I am coming from the room over yours." - -"Over mine? What, are there people perched higher than I am? I thought -that I acted as lightning rod for the house." - -"Oh, no, monsieur, there's a very pretty young girl, who lives all alone -above you." - -"Ah! you rascal! I see,--this girl is your mistress!" - -"No, monsieur, you don't see at all. The poor girl is adored by one of -my friends, and I should never think of such a thing as making love to -her, because, you see, I ain't capable of being false to a friend, -although I'm only a messenger." - -"You are right, my boy, you are right," murmured Roncherolle, hanging -his head, "for that doesn't bring good luck." - -"But if you knew all that has happened to the poor girl! Just imagine, -monsieur, that if it hadn't been for me, she would have jumped into the -canal last night." - -"Indeed! for what reason? Desperate with love--her lover has abandoned -her, I suppose?" - -"No, he still loves her, he thinks of nothing but her; he thinks that -she was unfaithful to him; he is convinced that she has listened to a -fine young dandy who makes eyes at her, and who has boasted of having -been her lover." - -"And why do you think that it isn't true?" - -"Why, bourgeois? Because, last night, when she went aboard the coal -barge, with the intention of carrying out her fatal plan, she couldn't -have suspected that I was there, hidden behind the coal; and before she -jumped into the water, she knelt down, to make a last prayer to the good -Lord. She asked Him to forgive her for putting an end to her life, but -she said that she didn't feel strong enough to live, despised and -humiliated by everybody, abandoned by everybody she loved, when she had -done nothing to reproach herself for. When she said that, she couldn't -guess that anyone was listening to her, and she was getting ready to -die. Well, I say that at such a time she couldn't lie; ain't that right, -monsieur?" - -Roncherolle tapped Chicotin on the shoulder and smiled. - -"He doesn't reason badly, the rascal.--But what does your little -protegee do?" - -"She is a flower girl, monsieur. Now I think of it, you know her; she is -the one you bought a bouquet of the first time I had the honor of -meeting you,--when you told me to come with you." - -"The deuce! is it possible that it is that pretty, attractive girl? for -she is remarkably lovely, this friend of yours." - -"Yes, monsieur, yes; she's the one; Violette, they call her." - -"But wait a moment--if it's she, why the young dandy who claims to be -her lover must be a certain Monsieur Jericourt." - -"Just so, master; Jericourt's his name--a man who writes plays; do you -know him?" - -"I dined with him a short time ago." - -"Do you know him well?" - -"No, thank God! Why do you ask me that?" - -"Oh! not for any reason; that is to say, I was thinking that if he was a -friend of yours, he might not lie so much to you, that's all." - -"No, he isn't a friend of mine by any means.--By the way, you say that -this girl is sick; has she enough money to be well taken care of?" - -"Oh! yes, bourgeois; she ain't hard up, she sells all she wants to; and -then, she has money put by." - -"So much the better; who is taking care of her?" - -"Your concierge, Mere Lamort." - -"I don't know that one can have much confidence in her as a doctor. I -will go myself to see this girl, for what you have told me has aroused -my interest in her." - -"I am sorry, bourgeois, but that can't be." - -"What is it that can't be?" - -"You can't go to see Mamzelle Violette, because she forbids it." - -"How can she have forbidden it? I have never been there." - -"Excuse me, but this is how it is: you see, when I was talking with her -this morning, I took the liberty to mention you; I told her that she -had a very pleasant neighbor." - -"Ah! you say such things about me, do you?" - -"That you were my customer.--By the way, bourgeois, shall I take a -bouquet to Madame de Grangeville from you to-day?" - -"No, no, that's all over; you won't take her any more bouquets--from me -at least.--But let us return to the flower girl; you said to her----" - -"I said to her: 'you have a very distinguished neighbor, who is--who is -no fool.'" - -"Really, you don't think me a fool?" - -"No, monsieur." - -"I am very much flattered that you have such a good opinion of me." - -"You are joking; but I know what I'm talking about, I tell you!" - -"And this girl doesn't choose to receive me because you told her that I -was no fool?" - -"Oh! it isn't that. I said: 'If you wish, mamzelle, Monsieur de -Roncherolle won't refuse to come now and then to sit with you, and he'll -be splendid company for you;' and then I added: 'you can receive him -without compromising yourself, because in the first place, he ain't -young, in the second place, he's gouty, and in the third place---- '" - -"Go on, while you are about it!" - -"In short, I meant to say that you didn't look like a rake." - -"It is certain that I should find it rather difficult to play that part -now.--But this extravagant eulogy of my person did not make your friend -disposed to see me?" - -"No; she said that she didn't need company, that she preferred to think -all by herself." - -"In that case, my boy, we will let her alone; we must never annoy -anybody, especially the sick." - -Monsieur de Roncherolle entered his room, and Chicotin returned to the -boulevard, saying to himself: - -"Shall I go to Nogent and tell Georget all that has happened? If I do, -he won't be able to think badly of Violette any more. On the other hand, -if I tell him that she's sick, he'll worry and torment himself; he'll -want to come back to Paris and perhaps that will displease his employer. -I think that I'd better wait until Violette is well before I go to see -Georget." - -But the next day, the young flower girl, very far from being well, had a -higher fever and was slightly delirious; she hardly recognized Chicotin -when he came to see her. He said to the concierge, when she approached -with several jugs in her hand: - -"It seems to me that your patient ain't doing very well, Mere Lamort?" - -"Oh, yes! oh, yes!" - -"What's that? oh, yes? Why she hardly recognized me, and then she says -things that don't mean anything." - -"It's the delirium going away; but I've got three kinds of herb tea for -her and--ah! there's Mirontaine barking; somebody's coming." - -And the concierge put her head out of the round window on the sixth -floor overlooking the courtyard. - -"Who's there? Who do you want?" she cried. - -An old man who had entered the house, looked up and answered in a -quavering voice which only reached the fourth floor: - -"Have you a Monsieur Dupuis in the house?" - -"What? What's that? is there a well--_puits_--in the house?" - -"He used to be an advocate." - -"You say it's your trade?" - -"He has several children." - -"Are you looking for lodgings?" - -"Aren't you coming down?" - -"You say that you stuff mattresses? What a miserable voice! I wonder if -the man has got a cold in his head!--Ah! there's Mirontaine barking -again; I must go down.--Coming!--What a nuisance!" - -The concierge went downstairs, and Chicotin, after examining Violette -again, shook his head and said to himself: - -"I don't know whether it's wise to trust to Madame Lamort's three kinds -of tea; I don't know much about such things myself, but I see well -enough that this poor girl has a devil of a fever. No matter what -happens, I shall go down and fetch the old fellow from the floor below." - -Chicotin went down to Roncherolle's room, and found him all ready to go -out. - -"Have you come again to see if you are to carry a bouquet to the -baroness?" he asked with a smile; "I told you that that was all gone by; -I shan't have any more bouquets to send to anybody." - -"No, bourgeois, no, I ain't come for that, but because of your little -neighbor upstairs, Mamzelle Violette." - -"Well, how is she to-day?" - -"Not well; she's as wild as a hawk; the concierge says that that's a -good sign, but I don't agree with her; I came to ask you if you would -have the kindness to go to see her, because you're better able than I am -to judge of her condition." - -"So you think that she will be willing to receive me to-day, do you?" - -"Pardi! yes, as she don't know whether there's anyone near her, and as -just now she thought she was in the country, under the trees." - -"I am not a doctor, but no matter, I will go to see this girl, and if I -can be of any use to her, I ask nothing better; show me the way." - -"Come, bourgeois, we haven't got far to go." - -"I can believe that." - -Roncherolle followed the young messenger, who ushered him into -Violette's room. The attic chamber was not elegant, but it was neat and -clean; the furniture was decent and in good condition; in short, nothing -in the room indicated poverty, or made the heart ache; on the contrary, -there were two large bouquets in two pretty vases. - -Roncherolle approached the spotless white bed on which the sick girl -lay; she seemed to be in a very agitated sleep. He took one hand which -was moist and burning, he felt her pulse, then shook his head, saying: - -"The fever is very high, but the skin is not dry; I am glad of that, it -is less dangerous." - -"You don't like dry skins?" - -"I say that I don't think that this fever is dangerous. But what do I -see on the mantel?" - -"Those are flowers, some of Mamzelle Violette's stock." - -"Such enormous bunches of flowers in a sick room! why, there's enough -there to kill her, and I'm not surprised that she is out of her head; -take them all away at once, throw the flowers out of the window." - -"You see, Mamzelle Violette adores flowers, and Mere Lamort, instead of -leaving them in a corner of the courtyard, by the pump, where Violette -always keeps them, she said yesterday: 'I'll just take two big bunches, -and she'll enjoy looking at them as long as she is lying in her bed.'" - -"Mere Lamort seems to me too well named; if that's the way that she -takes care of sick people, I must congratulate her.--Take all these -flowers away, my boy, and give the girl nothing to drink except a very -weak infusion of linden, with a few orange leaves: I am no doctor, but I -have an idea that that will be enough, and that she will be better -to-morrow. But take all these flowers away, don't leave a single one -here!" - -While Chicotin hastily removed all the flowers from the vases, -Roncherolle gazed at the sleeping girl and murmured: - -"It would be a pity; she is very pretty, is this child. Where the devil -have I seen that face?--Come, my boy, we'll let her sleep; I am going -down to give Mere Lamort a talking to." - - - - -XXXVIII - -THE NEIGHBOR'S VISIT - - -The next morning Chicotin appeared in Monsieur de Roncherolle's -apartment with a radiant face, exclaiming: - -"I've come to tell you, monsieur, that you fixed Mamzelle Violette up in -fine shape; she ain't out of her head to-day, her fever is much less; in -fact, she feels a great deal better; she told me to come and thank you -and tell you that she'd come herself as soon as she gets up." - -"Thank me! for what? Because I advised giving her linden tea to drink, -and because I had the flowers taken out of her room? why, anybody would -have said as much as that. Don't let the girl put herself out for such a -trifle. However, as she is better, I will go up soon to see her, to bid -her good-morning. I fancy that that is not forbidden now?" - -"Oh, no! you're a friend of hers now, bourgeois." - -"Very good; in that case, announce a visit from her friend of the fifth -floor." - -During the day, Roncherolle ascended the single flight of stairs which -separated him from the flower girl. He found the door open, and entered -the room of the sick girl, who was then alone, the concierge having just -gone down because she had heard Mirontaine bark. - -Roncherolle approached the bed softly; Violette was not asleep and the -return of health could already be read in her eyes. At nineteen, -sickness often disappears as rapidly as it comes; it is simply the storm -which disturbs the tranquillity of a beautiful day, but leaves no traces -behind. - -When she saw in her room a gentleman whom she did not know, the girl -opened her eyes in surprise and started to speak, but Roncherolle very -soon reassured her, saying: - -"Mademoiselle, I am your neighbor from below--indeed, I could not very -well be from above; excuse me for intruding upon you thus, but Chicotin -asked me to come up yesterday to see you, because he was anxious about -your condition; to-day he came to tell me that the draught I ordered had -done marvels, that you were almost well. As I did not deem myself -capable of executing so rapid a cure, I wished to satisfy myself with my -own eyes as to whether he had told me the truth; but if I disturb you, -if my presence annoys you, tell me so frankly, and I will go away at -once." - -Roncherolle's courteous and amiable tone instantly banished the girl's -embarrassment, and she replied with a smile: - -"Oh, no! it doesn't annoy me, monsieur. It was you who were kind enough -to come up to see me yesterday; Chicotin told me, and I should have come -to thank you--excuse me--pray take a chair." - -"Then it's understood that I don't disturb you? In that case, I will -take a seat and talk with you a moment; shall I?" - -"Yes, monsieur, you are very kind." - -"Let us not stand on ceremony any longer, now that we know each other. -All the necessary courtesies have been performed, and I am a neighbor -come to chat with a neighbor; and when his neighbor has had chatting -enough, she will show her neighbor the door." - -"Oh! monsieur----" - -"No, never fear, I shall know enough to show myself the door. First of -all, I am glad to see that you are really much better; I will wager that -two days hence you will not have a sign of your illness." - -"Oh! I hope not, monsieur; then I shall be able to go back to my flower -stand." - -"Yes, but you must not be imprudent, and go out too soon. I am well -aware that to keep one's room is not amusing, when one is all alone. Oh! -I know all about that, I have had too much experience; but at my age -reverie is melancholy, whereas at yours it should be rose-colored." - -"Not always, monsieur." - -"Have you no parents?" - -"No, monsieur, I have none." - -"Poor girl! and despair had taken possession of your pretty head, and -you proposed to die?" - -"What! you know, monsieur?" - -"Yes, yes. Chicotin told me that whole story; he is very fond of -talking, is that fellow; he told me that your lover, no, I mean the -young man who is in love with you, had ceased to speak to you because he -thought that you had listened to a young dandy; you see that I am well -posted." - -"Georget believes me guilty, monsieur. I know that appearances are -against me, but I assure you that Monsieur Jericourt lies; it was he who -prepared the trap into which I fell." - -"A trap! come, while we are alone, suppose you tell me all about it; I -should not be sorry to know the whole story--that is, unless it tires -you to talk." - -"No, monsieur; besides it will not take long." - -Roncherolle drew his chair nearer to the sick girl's bed, so that she -might not raise her voice, and Violette began: - -"Some time ago, monsieur, I was at my flower booth on Boulevard du -Chateau d'Eau." - -"Yes, I know where it is." - -"A servant came to order a handsome bouquet, and gave me one hundred -sous in advance, saying to me: 'You must carry this bouquet to Madame de -Belleval's, Boulevard Beaumarchais, number 88; be sure to take it up to -the lady yourself, because she wants to order others for a wedding.'--I -accepted the order, monsieur; for you see, a bouquet for a hundred sous -is worth the trouble; we don't sell many at that price on the -boulevard.--The servant went away. When I had made a magnificent -bouquet, I asked a neighbor to look after my booth, and I hurried to the -address that was given me. I arrived there and asked the concierge for -Madame de Belleval. He hesitated for a moment, then said: 'Go up to the -fifth floor, the door to the right.'--Ought I not to have gone up, -monsieur?" - -"Why thus far I see no reason why you should have hesitated." - -"I reached the fifth floor, and rang at the right hand door. A woman -answered the bell. I asked for Madame de Belleval.--'Come in,' she -said.--'But I simply have a bouquet to deliver.'--'Come in all the -same,'she said; 'madame wants to speak to you;' and she opened the door -of a small salon where I saw nobody, and left me there, saying: 'Wait, -she will come.'--Should I not have gone in, monsieur?" - -"Why not, my child? There was nothing to arouse your suspicion so far." - -"I waited for a few moments, then a door opened; but instead of a lady, -I saw Monsieur Jericourt come in; a man whom I detest, and who had been -pestering me for a long while with his love and his insulting -propositions; he is a swell who thinks that a woman, especially a flower -girl, cannot resist him." - -"I know him; go on, go on." - -"When I recognized that man, I guessed that I had fallen into a trap; I -tried to go away, but he held me and began to talk to me of his love; he -laughed when I reproached him with his treachery, and dared to tell me -that I had no choice, because we were in his rooms and no one would come -to my help. Ah! if you knew, monsieur, what strength despair and -indignation gave me then; I began to shriek. Monsieur Jericourt tried to -kiss me, but I clawed his face so that he had no inclination to try -again! He was furious with rage, but he let me go, and as you can -imagine, monsieur, I left the room instantly. But it seems that there -was somebody on his landing when I went out: that little squint-eyed -young man, who lives in the same house, saw me come out all excited and -upset. It is quite possible that I was; but I was so happy to escape, so -terrified by the risk I had run, that I saw nobody; I was no longer in -that man's power, that was my only thought; and I am sure that I went -downstairs very quickly.--That is the whole truth; that is how I -happened to go to Monsieur Jericourt's, without a suspicion that that -was where I was going; but that is exactly what took place there--I -swear it to you, monsieur; and may the good Lord prevent me from ever -leaving this bed if I have lied in any one detail!" - -Roncherolle gazed attentively at the young girl while she was speaking, -and for the first time in his life, perhaps, he felt deeply moved. He -pressed Violette's hand, and said: - -"I believe you, my child, I believe you. In fact, there is nothing -improbable in your story; it isn't the first time that a pretty girl has -been lured into a trap in this way. It is very wrong, but still I could -forgive this Jericourt, if, having failed in his attempt, he had -admitted his defeat; but when you were virtuous, when you resisted his -attack, to go about proclaiming that he had triumphed over you, that you -had yielded to him--why that is going too far, deuce take it! Men ruin -enough women who are willing to be ruined; they should not ruin those -who object!" - -"Oh! how glad I am that you believe me, monsieur!" - -"But do you mean to say that when you told all this to your sweetheart, -he refused to believe you?" - -"He has never given me a chance to justify myself; he ran away from me -without deigning to listen to me." - -"Be calm, and get well; before long, he will do you justice, and will -himself ask your pardon for having suspected you." - -"Do you think so, monsieur?" - -"I am sure of it." - -"You make me very happy, monsieur." - -"I no longer believed myself capable of making a young girl happy, and I -am exceedingly proud. I am very glad that you have told me this whole -story, my little neighbor; and on your side, I hope that you will not -regret it." - -"How kind you are to take an interest in me, monsieur." - -"Now we have talked enough and I must leave you; rest, sleep, and -everything will go well; but above all, no more flowers in your -bedroom!" - -"Oh, no! you see that there are none here now, monsieur." - -"There is still one--but that one will never do any harm." - -Roncherolle went away, and the girl fell asleep. - - - - -XXXIX - -PURE LOVE - - -For several days the Comte de Brevanne walked upon the boulevard where -the pretty flower girl ordinarily stood, to no purpose. At last, after -allowing three days to elapse without going to Paris, he went thither -again, and as he drew near the Chateau d'Eau, he saw that Violette was -once more in her place. - -Violette did not notice the gentleman who approached her and halted in -front of her flowers. But on raising her eyes and recognizing Georget's -protector, the man who had treated her so harshly and turned her out of -his house, the poor child shuddered and had not courage to utter a word. - -"Yes, it is I, mademoiselle," said the count, imparting to his voice its -mildest intonation; "I frighten you, I see; you lower your eyes in -order not to meet mine. Oh! do not be afraid; you would not read in them -any trace of anger, but rather an expression of sorrow; for I behaved -very badly toward you, poor girl! But at that time cruel memories led my -reason astray; since then I have realized how unjust, how cruel I was to -you, when you came to ask for aid and protection; and so, on the day -after that scene, I came here to ask your pardon." - -"Pardon! pardon!" murmured Violette, not daring as yet to believe what -she had heard, and timidly raising her eyes to Monsieur de Brevanne's -face. "Ah! is it possible, monsieur? Then you no longer despise me?" - -"I have never despised you, my child; I simply vented upon you a fit of -anger which never should have touched you; for you are not the guilty -one.--Once more, are you willing to forget my injustice? Are you willing -to forgive me?" - -"Oh! with all my heart, monsieur; I have never been angry with you, but -it made me very unhappy." - -"Have you been sick, that you have not been here selling your flowers?" - -"Yes, monsieur, I have been sick; but only for a week; it is all over -now, and I have forgotten about it." - -"But you are still pale and changed." - -"It is the result of the fever; but I feel better, and now, monsieur, -that you have told me that you are not angry with me any more, why, I -feel perfectly well; it seems to me that my strength has come back to -me, and that my health is as it was." - -"I am glad to hear that, for your absence from this place worried me a -great deal; and if I had known where you lived, I should have gone to -inquire for you." - -"And--and--is he still with you, monsieur?" - -"He? You mean Georget, do you not?" - -"Yes, monsieur, Georget." - -"To be sure; but he didn't come with me; I left him at Nogent. I must -also confess to you, my child, that I didn't tell him that you had been -to Nogent; after what happened, I knew that I should simply make him -unhappy; and before telling him anything, I wished to see you again." - -"You did well, monsieur." - -"However, as the winter is approaching, we shall return to Paris in a -few days." - -"Will he come back with you?" - -"Yes, I shall bring him with me; I shall find work for him here; he is -an intelligent fellow and he writes well--it would be a pity to have him -continue as a messenger." - -"And you will return soon, monsieur?" - -"Yes, and then I expect to see you again; you will not be afraid to come -to my house? you won't bear me a grudge?" - -"No, no, monsieur, I shall be at your service." - -"I still have a--a certain handkerchief of yours; I am keeping it as a -sacred trust; but do not fear, I will return it whenever it is likely to -be of any use to you." - -"Oh! I don't want it, monsieur. You know better than I if I can--if I -ought to hope to find my parents some day. But no, I probably shall -never find them, and I had better give up thinking about them, hadn't I, -monsieur?" - -"You must come to see me in Paris; I shall probably return next week. -Georget will let you know." - -"Georget! do you think he will speak to me?" - -"I think that he will ask nothing better; for he has been very unhappy -about not coming to Paris these last few days, the poor boy!" - -"Oh! how kind you are to tell me that, monsieur!" - -And tears of joy glistened in the pretty flower girl's eyes. The count, -with a friendly nod, walked away, bidding her au revoir, and leaving in -the girl's heart so much joy and happiness that there was no room there -for the memory of her past sorrow. - -While these things were taking place in Paris, Chicotin, seeing that -Violette had recovered her health, had started early in the morning, on -foot, for Nogent, in order to tell Georget all that had happened to the -young flower girl. - -Chicotin had found his former comrade walking sadly back and forth on -the lawn in front of the count's house, gazing with a melancholy air at -the Paris road, by which Monsieur de Brevanne had departed, without -bidding him accompany him, and wondering why he went to Paris so often. - -At sight of his friend, Georget uttered a joyful exclamation and threw -himself into Chicotin's arms; whereupon the latter, without stopping to -rest or to take breath, proceeded to tell his comrade all that had -happened to Violette,--her journey to Nogent, her despair, her illness, -and finally her recovery. - -It would be difficult to describe Georget's state during this narrative; -listening intently, choking with grief, weeping and uttering cries of -joy in turn, he exclaimed: - -"She is not guilty! what joy! poor girl, turned away, determined to die! -Oh! mon Dieu! I should have died too!" - -He hardly gave his friend time to finish his story; he leaped on his -neck, embraced him, kissed him again and again, stammering in a voice -broken by sobs: - -"It was you who saved her; it was due to you that she did not throw -herself into the canal, where she would have died; for so late at night -no one would have seen her, no one would have taken her out of the -water! Ah! I love you almost as much as I do her; I pray for only one -thing, and that is, that I may be able to prove my gratitude some day!" - -"Well, well! what a silly fellow! here's a lot of talk for the simplest -kind of an action: a man sees a girl trying to kill herself, and -prevents her--I should like to know if that thing isn't done every day; -any boy in the street would do as much." - -"So it was really she who came here! My heart guessed it, but that cruel -man deceived me; he told me that it wasn't she, because he had made her -cry and had turned her out of the house with harsh words! Oh! that was -shameful, and I will not stay any longer in a house where Violette -received such an affront. Wait here for me, Chicotin." - -"What are you going to do?" - -"Pack up my things, and I'll go away with you; my mother will come after -us." - -"Bah! more nonsense! what does this mean? You mean to leave a man who -has never been anything but kind to you, in such a way as this, without -even saying good-bye to him? A man who, when your mother was sick and -you hadn't a sou, gave you all that you needed to take care of her; a -man who has taken you into his family, with your mother, and quartered -you in this little chateau, where you are living like pigs in -clover--you yourself said so? Well! that would be pretty! and you talk -of gratitude, and this is the way you propose to treat your protector!" - -"What difference does it make what he has done for me? He made Violette -so unhappy by turning her out of this house that she wanted to die, and -that she would have died without you!" - -"As if he could have guessed that! You must see that this gentleman must -know Violette's parents, and that they have played some vile trick on -him, and that there's some deviltry in all this that we don't know -about." - -"I don't care; I propose to go to Paris and ask her to forgive me for -suspecting her." - -"So far as that goes, you will do well; but that ain't any reason for -leaving your protector, for behaving mean to him, and I don't -propose----" - -"Hush! here he is!'" - -Monsieur de Brevanne had returned from Paris. He saw the two young men. -He observed Georget's excitement and agitation, and, divining a part of -the truth, he went at once to his protege, and asked him, pointing to -Chicotin: - -"Who is this young man?" - -"He is a friend of mine, monsieur, an old comrade; he is Chicotin, whom -I've mentioned to you once or twice." - -"Ah! yes, I remember. What does he want?" - -"He came, monsieur, to tell me that Violette tried to throw herself into -the water, when she left this house after you had driven her away; for -it was she, monsieur, it was really she who came here, and you told me -that it wasn't.--Poor Violette! but for him she would not be alive, and -I--my mother would not have any son!" - -Georget burst into sobs. Chicotin twisted his face and mouth, and did -his utmost not to weep with his friend. Monsieur de Brevanne, who was -deeply moved himself, tapped Chicotin on the shoulder, saying to him: - -"You are a fine fellow; I shall not forget it." - -Chicotin took off his hat and passed the back of his hand over his nose -and eyes. - -"And you, Georget," continued the count, "you are very angry with me, -aren't you? But your young friend Violette has made her peace with me; -won't you do as she has done?" - -"Violette! monsieur has seen Violette? Is it possible?" - -"Yes, my dear boy, and to-day isn't the first time that I have tried to -express to her my regret for what had taken place. On the very next day -after her unfortunate journey, I went to Paris expressly to see her; but -she was not in her place; you must have noticed that I went to Paris -several days in succession." - -"That is true, monsieur." - -"It was always in the hope of meeting Violette; but I did not find her." - -"Because she was sick, monsieur," cried Chicotin; "because she was -confined to her bed with fever." - -"I know it, my boy; she told me all that just now; but she is in her -place to-day; and now she is not angry with me any more, and she hopes -that you will not be angry with her, Georget; for I told her that you -would go to see her; did I do right?" - -Georget, who passed as quickly from wrath to affection as from sadness -to joy, seized Monsieur de Brevanne's hand and squeezed it violently, -crying: - -"I was wrong to think that you were unkind, I ought to have known that -it was impossible. Oh! let me go at once to see her, monsieur, to ask -her pardon for thinking her guilty, to tell her that I have never ceased -to love her." - -"To-day? Why, it is quite late." - -"It is only four o'clock, monsieur, and at six I shall be in Paris; at -ten o'clock I will be back again. You will let me go, won't you, -monsieur?" - -"As I made you unhappy, I must make up for it." - -"Ah, monsieur!" - -"Go; I will tell your mother that I sent you to Paris on an errand; do -not come back until to-morrow morning in order not to run the risk of -being on the road so late." - -"Oh! thanks, monsieur, thanks a thousand times!--Come, Chicotin, let us -go." - -"But I haven't had a chance to rest or to eat anything!" muttered the -young messenger, making a wry face. - -"Come, come; I'll treat you to supper." - -"_Fichtre!_ the bill of fare will have to be long then." - -"Here, my boy," said the count, putting a twenty-franc piece into -Chicotin's hand; "here is something for your supper; I propose to treat -you, for Georget is quite capable of starting off without any money." - -"Thanks, monsieur, we will have a little spree, eh, Georget?--Why, where -is he? Out on the road already! Bless my soul! he is capable of making -me run all the way to Paris." - -Georget was going at the speed of a Basque; Chicotin succeeded in -overtaking him, however, and said as he trotted along beside him: - -"We'll take a carriage at Vincennes. I have some money, for Monsieur -Malberg gave me twenty francs; there's a fine man for you!" - -"Why take a carriage? we can go faster on foot." - -"Oh, no! not much! and even if we could, is it worth while to use -ourselves up and arrive in Paris sick, or to be sick to-morrow? And -besides, what hurry is there now? You are sure to find her,--she won't -fly away." - -"Ah! you are not in love, Chicotin! you don't know what it is to go back -to the girl you love; and it seems to me that I have been away from her -for years." - -"Ah! there's a coucou.--I say, driver, two seats for Paris!" - -"On the box, if that suits you?" - -"I should say so; we adore the box." - -The two friends mounted to the driver's seat. Each moment Georget was -tempted to seize the whip and lash the horse, which did not go fast -enough to suit him. The driver defended his horse and his whip, and -Chicotin's hands were full in trying to keep peace on their seat. At -last they arrived in Paris, and Georget said to his friend: - -"Go to the wine-shop on the corner of Faubourg du Temple, and wait there -for me; then we'll have supper. Au revoir." - -And he disappeared like a flash from the eyes of his friend, who said to -himself: - -"Oh! run as much as you please now; I have no desire to follow you, for -I don't propose to ruin my liver." - -Georget was not at all anxious that his comrade should go with him to -find Violette; when one has been parted for a long while from the girl -he loves, when one has been at odds with her, one desires to see her -again without witnesses; secrecy, aye, and silence, must preside at -that interview, for one speaks with the eyes as much as with the voice, -and any witness is a nuisance at such a blissful moment. - -Georget drew near the Chateau d'Eau. It was flower market day, and -although the weather was already a little cold, there were still enough -people on the boulevard for the young man to approach without being seen -by Violette. He spied her at last, but there were two ladies in front of -her, selecting bouquets. So that he was fain to be content to look at -her, to devour her with his eyes. He drew nearer and nearer, keeping -behind her customers. Suddenly, as she raised her eyes, the young flower -girl saw Georget standing like a statue and gazing at her as a repentant -sinner gazes at a Madonna. Violette blushed and turned pale in quick -succession. But her young friend's eyes were so expressive, they -implored her forgiveness so eloquently, that the flower girl bestowed -her sweetest glance upon him, and being unable as yet to speak to him, -began to cover with kisses a small bunch of violets, which she then -proceeded to drop on the ground, and which was almost instantly pressed -against Georget's lips. - -At last the customers went away, and Georget was able to approach. - -"How happy I am to see you again, Violette! oh, how long the time has -seemed to me while away from you!" - -"And to me too, Georget." - -"Ah! I suspected you, Violette, I accused you! I know that I was wrong; -will you forgive me for thinking you guilty?" - -"Yes, I forgive you, for appearances were against me; and even now you -have only my word for a proof of my innocence." - -"That is enough, and hereafter I want nothing else." - -"But I should like right well to force the man who slandered me to tell -the truth." - -"Let us not talk of that now; I am so happy! I was dying of ennui away -from you, dear Violette. If you knew how I love you!" - -"Mon Dieu! Georget, I realized that I loved you too, since your -desertion caused me so much pain and unhappiness." - -"Dear Violette! what joy! you love me, you tell me so! there is no one -on earth happier than I am." - -"And I am very happy too." - -"I am eighteen years old now, Violette, and I can marry you." - -"We have time enough, my dear, now that we are sure that we love each -other; can we want anything more?" - -"We will be married, all the same; you will be my wife, won't you, -Violette?" - -"What a question! when I refuse to be anybody else's!" - -"Ah! it is nice of you to say that!" - -"But it is growing dark; it is late, Georget; will you help me to close -my booth and carry my flowers away? As I have been sick and am not very -strong yet, I must not stay out late." - -"You are right, you mustn't endanger your health. Give me all the -flowers, all the bunches you have left; I will carry them, and this tray -and the chair." - -"Oh, no! I can carry something myself, Georget." - -"Give them all to me, I beg." - -"No, monsieur, for then I shall look as if I were lazy." - -The two young lovers soon had the booth closed. Then they walked toward -Rue de Crussol, Georget never weary of gazing at Violette, and she -always smiling at Georget. - -"So you have changed your lodging, have you?" - -"Yes, I live here now, right up at the top; but it is very pleasant; and -then it is a very decent house. I have a little corner of the courtyard -where I keep my flowers, near a pump; it is always cool -there.--Good-night, Georget." - -"What! are we going to part already?" - -"You know very well that you can't come up to my room, Georget, you who -are my sweetheart; that wouldn't be proper." - -"Oh! I have no idea of asking you to let me do that, Violette; but -suppose, after you have put your flowers in the yard, you would take a -little walk with me on the boulevard; we have been together such a short -time." - -"All right, I will do it; but we mustn't walk long." - -"A few minutes, that's all." - -Violette went in to arrange her tray and her flowers; then she returned -to Georget, passed her arm through his, and they walked away, talking -together, looking at each other, pressing against each other, happier -than the great ones of the earth, happier than the millionaires, happier -than all those whom people envy; for true love and youth!--you would -seek in vain to find anything superior to these. - -Meanwhile the evening advanced, and the two lovers, who had not begun to -weary of looking at each other, of squeezing each other's hands and of -repeating that they would love each other forever, could not make up -their minds to part. When Violette said: "I must go in," Georget -replied: "Just a minute more." When he expressed a fear that she was -cold, she reassured him by saying that the walk would do her good. - -But Chicotin, who was not in love and who was dying of hunger, waited in -vain for his friend to join him at the place he had appointed. Weary of -waiting, Chicotin went to the flower market, but found no one there. -Then he went to Violette's abode, and asked the concierge if the young -flower girl had come home; and Madame Lamort informed him that, after -putting her flowers in their place, she had gone out on the arm of a -very young and comely man, saying that she would soon return. - -Chicotin sat down on a carriage stone, muttering: - -"For a convalescent, Mamzelle Violette is very imprudent, to walk about -so long after dark." - -"That's what I told them!" cried the concierge. "But as Mirontaine -barked at that moment, I guess they didn't hear me." - -Chicotin had been on sentry duty for half an hour, when Monsieur de -Roncherolle, on his way to his room, spied him and said: - -"What are you doing here, my boy?" - -"I am waiting for my friend Georget, who is walking with Mamzelle -Violette, bourgeois." - -"Ah! so this Georget is----" - -"The fellow who loves her so dearly, who suspected her of having gone -wrong, and who came to-day to beg her pardon, because I went to Monsieur -Malberg, your friend's, at Nogent, where he lives----" - -"To Monsieur Malberg's; you mean the friend who came to see me on Rue de -Bretagne?" - -"Yes, bourgeois." - -"And who was the cause of my moving!--Look you, Chicotin, if you take it -into your head to mention me to your friend again, and to tell him that -I live in this house, I warn you that I will pull your ears so that you -can cover your nose with them!" - -"Never fear, bourgeois; I won't mention you; I have no desire to force -you to move again." - -"You will do well." - -"Ah! here are the lovers coming back at last!" - -"Then I will go up to my room." - -"And I am going to supper! I am not sorry for that." - - - - -XL - -MORE BOUQUETS - - -Six days after that evening, Monsieur de Brevanne returned to his rooms -in Paris, bringing Georget and Pongo. Worthy Mere Brunoy, who enjoyed -the country immensely and who was beginning to understand that her son -was becoming reasonable enough to be able to do without her, had asked -permission to remain at Nogent, where Georget had promised to go to see -her twice a week. - -On the day following his return to Paris, Monsieur de Brevanne went to -see Violette and said to her: - -"My dear child, I am going to give you an errand to do; it is not a -dangerous one, for it is a bona fide lady to whom I am sending you." - -"Oh! monsieur, when it's you who send me, I will go wherever you -please." - -"Well, it is another bouquet for you to carry; you will make a very fine -one, and go to Madame de Grangeville's, Rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges, -number 19." - -"Very well, monsieur." - -"That is not all; you will take the bouquet up yourself, and ask to be -allowed to hand it to the lady in person--in person, you understand; I -shall be very glad to have her see you. It is probable that she will -ask you from whom you come, and you will tell her that you do not know, -that it was a gentleman who sent you on the errand, with many -compliments from him. If she asks you to describe him, be very careful -not to draw my portrait--wait a moment,"--and the count, trying to -recall the features of Monsieur de Merval, continued: "You will tell her -that it was a gentleman, stylishly dressed, of distinguished bearing, -and medium height; who is no longer young, but who has almost the look -of a young man; of light complexion, with rather a red face.--Can you -remember all that, Violette?" - -"I have not lost a word, monsieur." - -"I am teaching you to lie, but under these circumstances I assure you -that it is excusable. Try to talk a little with the lady, but be very -careful never to mention my name in the conversation, and not to say -that you have been at Nogent." - -"Very good, monsieur." - -"If this lady should ask you any questions about yourself, about your -family, say simply that you are an abandoned child, that you have never -known your parents." - -"When I say that, I shall not lie, monsieur." - -"No; but say nothing more, do not mention the embroidered handkerchief, -and above all things, do not mention the name of Evelina de Paulausky. -Be sure, my poor girl, that I give you all these instructions in your -own interest." - -"Oh! I have no doubt of that, monsieur; but,--forgive me for this -question--did this lady ever know my mother?" - -"It may be that through her we may succeed in finding her; but to obtain -that result, it is necessary that she should know nothing at first of -any of the peculiar facts concerning you; that will seem to you most -extraordinary, no doubt, my child; but have confidence in me, and if you -still have a mother, I will restore her to you, yes, I will restore her -to you." - -"Then you are not sure that she is still alive, monsieur?" - -The count was silent for a moment, then replied: - -"No, no; but go and deliver this bouquet, Violette, and forget nothing -of what I have enjoined upon you. On your way back from Madame de -Grangeville, come to my rooms, and tell me the result of your errand." - -The count walked away. The young flower girl hastily made a bouquet of -the freshest and prettiest flowers in her stock. Then she set out for -Rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges, greatly surprised at the emotion which she -felt at having so simple an errand to do. But the injunctions of -Georget's protector led her to think that the person to whom she was -going knew the secret of her birth, and she said to herself that it was -that idea that made her heart beat so fast. - -"Madame," said Mademoiselle Lizida, opening the door of the small salon -where her mistress was sitting, "there is someone here with a bouquet -for you." - -"A bouquet! somebody has sent me a bouquet?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"Well, if it's that Savoyard again, from Monsieur de Roncherolle, I -don't propose to receive him; send him away, him and his bouquet; I -don't propose to have any further relations with his master. Bah! that -man disgusts me!" - -"Oh! it isn't the messenger this time, madame; it's a very pretty young -girl, really very pretty, and the bouquet is magnificent. I am very sure -that it comes from someone else." - -"Do you think so? that makes a difference; show the girl in." - -Violette was ushered into Madame de Grangeville's presence; the flower -girl was agitated, trembling, and her cheeks were a brilliant scarlet; -but that emotion simply added to her beauty, and the baroness at sight -of her, exclaimed: - -"Why, the girl is very pretty, really! very pretty, indeed!" - -Violette made a curtsy and offered her bouquet. - -"You have brought me a bouquet, mademoiselle?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"It is very handsome, very tasteful.--But from whom do you come? for I -must know to whom I am indebted for this attention." - -"I do not know, madame." - -"You don't know? Ah! you mean that you were told to keep it secret. But, -you know, between women such secrets should be transparent. Come, my -girl--why, she is really very pretty indeed!--who sends you? For of -course you did not come here of your own motion." - -"Madame, it was a gentleman who came to me at my place, at my booth." - -"Ah! so you are----" - -"A flower girl, madame." - -"And where is your booth? on Rue de la Paix?" - -"No, madame, on Boulevard Saint-Martin, near the Chateau d'Eau; I sell -out of doors." - -"Poor girl! an open air flower girl! what a pity, with that pretty -face!--But to return to our subject: a gentleman came to you and told -you to bring this bouquet?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"And he gave you no other message for me?" - -"No, madame--that is to say, he said: 'You will also offer the lady many -compliments from me!'" - -"From him? What sort of looking man was he? Did he walk with difficulty, -leaning on a cane?" - -"No, madame, this gentleman had no cane, and he walked very well." - -"So much the better! so much the better! you set my mind at rest.--About -how old was this stranger?" - -"Why, he is no longer young, madame; and still he has the appearance and -manners of a young man." - -"Ah! very good; I am on the track; he is a very stylish, well-dressed -man, is he not?" - -"Yes, madame, he was very well-dressed; and his manner was very -distinguished." - -"What is the color of his hair?" - -"He is light-haired, with a rather red face." - -"Enough! enough! I know perfectly now who it is." - -And Madame de Grangeville, leaning toward her maid, who was behind her -chair, said in an undertone: - -"It is he again, I was sure of it; it is Monsieur de Merval.--Well, what -are you looking at so attentively, Lizida?" - -"I was looking at this girl, madame, and the more I look at her--why, it -is perfectly amazing! is it possible that you haven't noticed it, -madame?" - -"Noticed what, pray?" - -"This pretty flower girl--for she is pretty, is she not, madame?" - -"Yes, very pretty indeed; well?" - -"Why, madame, she looks like you, yes, she looks very much like you!" - -"Do you think so?--Yes, there is in fact something in her features, in -her mouth--but I used to be prettier than she is!" - -Violette blushed, and was sorely embarrassed when she saw that the -mistress and the maid were staring at her. As they said nothing more to -her, she curtsied again and murmured: - -"Has madame any further orders for me?" - -"No, mademoiselle.--By the way, I will ask you, if you see this -gentleman again, to thank him a thousand times for me, and to tell him, -that, in spite of the mystery in which he envelops himself, I recognize -him none the less, and I should be very glad to see him, in order to -express in person all my gratitude; can you remember all that, my girl?" - -"Oh! yes, madame, I have a good memory; I shan't forget anything, I -promise you." - -"Very good.--It is certain that there is a something about you--how old -are you?" - -"Nineteen, madame." - -"Nineteen!" - -Madame de Grangeville seemed struck by that answer; she reflected a -moment, then answered: - -"What! you are nineteen years old? You don't look it. Have you many -brothers and sisters?" - -"No, madame, I am alone." - -"Aha! and your mother sells flowers as you do, no doubt?" - -"My mother--I don't know her, madame; I am a--an abandoned child." - -Madame de Grangeville could not control an impulsive movement; but she -soon recovered herself, saying: - -"How foolish I am! There are very many things in the world which -resemble one another in some details. The most amusing part of this is -that this girl looks so much like me; it is a mere freak of chance, for -the other, if she's alive, must be in the depths of Picardie." - -Then, turning toward the girl, the baroness continued, aloud: - -"Well, my child, you may go.--But, perhaps you have not been paid, and -you are waiting----" - -"Yes, I am paid, madame; I was not waiting for anything but to be -dismissed." - -"She talks very well.--Go then, and do not forget what I told you to say -to Monsieur de Merval." - -"Monsieur de----?" - -"How thoughtless I am, to mention his name! I meant to say, the -gentleman who sent you to bring this bouquet to me." - -"I shall not forget anything, madame." - -Violette took her leave, deeply moved by the interview she had had with -the lady, and wondering what there was in that commonplace conversation -to cause her such emotion. She went at once to the count's and found him -impatiently awaiting her; he made her repeat the conversation she had -had with Madame de Grangeville, to the slightest detail. - -"What do you think of that lady?" enquired Monsieur de Brevanne, when -Violette had told him everything. - -"I think that she is very good-looking, that is to say, she must have -been good-looking; her features are worn now--she is not young, is she, -monsieur?" - -"No, certainly not. Was she pleasant and affable with you?" - -"Yes, monsieur, she was very polite; but her manner was rather haughty." - -"Very well, my child, go back to your flowers; next week you shall carry -another bouquet to Madame de Grangeville." - -"Very good, monsieur; and must I let her think that that one too comes -from a Monsieur de Merval? For she is fully persuaded that it was a -gentleman of that name who sent me to her." - -"You must be very careful not to undeceive her." - -On leaving the count, the young flower girl met Georget, whom she told -what she had been doing, and who walked with her to her booth, saying: - -"We have come back to Paris. Monsieur Malberg gives me writing and -figuring to do and sends me on errands; but that won't prevent me from -seeing you every day. I am so happy! every morning I will come to the -boulevard to bid you good-morning, and in the evening I will come to -help you carry home your flowers." - -"I agree to that, Georget, but only on condition that it doesn't -interfere with your work. I haven't told you, but I believe that -Monsieur Malberg will help me find my family." - -"Your family! what need of them have you now? Don't I fill the place of -your family?" - -"But, Georget, a person is always very glad to have a family, and if I -still had a mother----" - -"Your mother! as she abandoned you, it must have been that she didn't -love you." - -"Who can tell? Perhaps she was compelled to." - -"And if your family should prove to be rich, they wouldn't be willing -that I should be your husband perhaps. Look you, Violette, I prefer that -you shouldn't find anybody." - -"What a child you are, Georget!" - -"There is someone that I would like to find, myself! But I would treat -him as he deserves to be treated!" - -"Whom are you talking about, Georget?" - -"That Monsieur Jericourt, who laid that trap for you, and then went -about saying----" - -"I beg you, Georget, let us say no more about that. You are convinced -that I am not guilty, aren't you?" - -"Oh! can you ask me that, Violette?" - -"Well, my dear, don't think any more about that man; I don't want you to -find him, do you understand? And if anything should happen to you, think -of your mother, and of me. Would you like to kill us with grief? -Besides, I never see him now, he never passes my booth." - -"And he does well! for if I should see him pass--But I don't know where -he keeps himself now; no one ever sees him anywhere; Chicotin isn't any -luckier than I am. I went to his lodgings, but he had moved; no one -knows where he lives now; he must have left the quarter." - -"I beg of you, Georget, do not look for that man any more; if you do, -you will make me very unhappy. Do you think that I haven't had sorrow -enough?" - -"I am done, mamzelle; I will obey you. But you see, I am past eighteen -now, I am no longer a child, and I don't propose that anyone shall say -anything about you!" - -A month passed, during which Violette went every week to take a bouquet -to Madame de Grangeville, who was still persuaded that it was Monsieur -de Merval to whom she owed that attention. When the young flower girl -returned from Rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges, Monsieur de Brevanne inquired -particularly what had taken place between her and Madame de Grangeville; -he insisted that the young girl should repeat the most trivial words of -their conversation. He did not understand how the baroness could fail to -show more interest in Violette, more curiosity to know something about -her; that indifference surprised him, for it seemed to him that a secret -voice must have spoken to the baroness's heart, and led her to think -that the girl was her child. - -One morning, Monsieur de Brevanne betook himself to Boulevard du Chateau -d'Eau, with the purpose of sending Violette to Madame de Grangeville -again; but the flower girl was not in her place. Fearing that she might -be sick, the count was about to return home, in order to send Georget to -inquire for Violette, when, as he turned, he saw her approaching with -her flowers. - -"You thought that I was lazy, did you not, monsieur?" said Violette as -she curtsied to the count, "but don't scold me, it isn't that." - -"In the first place, my child, I never think anything bad of you; but I -was afraid that you might not be feeling well." - -"Oh, no! monsieur, it isn't I who am sick; it's a poor gentleman--if you -only knew how he suffers! it makes one's heart ache!" - -"Is it some one whom you know?" - -"It is a neighbor of mine, a gentleman who lives in the same house, just -below me, and who, when I was sick some time ago, was kind enough to -come up to see me, to take an interest in me, and to order a medicine -which cured me; and then he came sometimes to sit with me; so that it is -quite natural now that I should try to be of some use to him, is it not, -monsieur?" - -"Certainly, and no one could blame you for it, my child." - -"Besides that, I have an idea that this gentleman--oh! he won't admit -it, but I am inclined to think that he is short of money, and that he -can't supply himself with all that he needs to cure himself." - -"Do you think so? But, if he is a worthy man, if he deserves, as you -say, to be aided, we will come to his assistance." - -"Oh! that won't be easy, I tell you, monsieur; for, you see, he is very, -very proud, and won't allow anyone to lend him money. I was unfortunate -enough last night to propose to go and order a prescription which the -doctor had left for him. He said to me: 'How are you going to pay for -it? I haven't given you any money.' I answered: 'Dear me! that doesn't -make any difference; I have some money, and you can pay me back.'--At -that, he shouted at me almost angrily: 'I don't propose to have anyone -lend me money! I haven't asked you for it, I don't need any medicine, -and I won't have it, I won't have anything!'--And it isn't possible to -make him listen to reason. Aside from that, he is very good-natured, and -whenever his pain grows a little less, he always has something amusing -to say. The fact is, that he has a very _comme il faut_ manner, like -you, monsieur; and perhaps he was once rich like you." - -"What is the matter with him?" - -"Gout, so he says." - -"Gout?--and his name--do you know his name?" - -"Yes, his name is Monsieur de Roncherolle." - -"Roncherolle!" - -The count repeated the name with such evident surprise and agitation -that the girl was terrified. - -"What is the matter, monsieur?" she stammered; "does that name also -recall painful memories? Do you know my unfortunate neighbor?" - -"Yes, yes, my child, I do know him; but be very careful not to speak to -him of me, not to mention my name before him, for you would simply -aggravate his trouble." - -"Very well, monsieur, I will be careful.--But, monsieur, does it make -you angry that I go to take care of my neighbor when I have time?" - -"No, Violette, no, no! on the contrary, devote yourself to this Monsieur -de Roncherolle; far from blaming you for it, I urge you to do it; it is -your duty, for it is always a duty to help one's neighbor. But listen to -me: if, while talking, this gentleman should question you about your -family,--I mean, concerning what you know as to the manner in which you -were given in charge to your nurse,--don't tell him any more than you -have told Madame de Grangeville." - -"I will remember, monsieur." - -"All this must seem very strange to you; but pray believe that it is for -your own welfare that I advise you to act thus." - -"Oh! you tell me to do it, monsieur, and that is enough for me; have I -not placed all my confidence in you?" - -"I will reward you for it, my child. Au revoir." - -"Are you going, monsieur? have you no orders for me? don't you want me -to carry a bouquet to Madame de Grangeville to-day?" - -"No, no; it is better that you should make haste to sell your flowers -and return to do what you can for Monsieur de Roncherolle. Madame de -Grangeville can do without flowers, but the man who is suffering cannot -do without help." - -The count left the young flower girl and returned home deep in thought, -saying to himself: - -"I see the finger of Providence in all this. Now this girl passes a part -of each day with her father--and her mother, and she does not know them! -Ought I to make them known to her? Are they worthy of her affection, of -her love?--Guide me, oh God, and show me where my duty lies." - - - - -XLI - -A NEW WAY OF OBTAINING REVENGE - - -The weather was cold and dull, and a fall of snow ending in rain added -to the discomfort of a penetrating dampness. But the fireplace of the -small room in which Roncherolle lay contained only two small sticks, -which had been laid near together, but which imparted no heat to the -room. - -Roncherolle was suffering horribly with his gout, and as he was alone, -he did not hesitate to complain in very energetic fashion; despite his -resolutions to be philosophical, pain sometimes won the victory over his -courage; but when Violette was with him he did his utmost to conceal his -suffering. - -The young girl came in; she held in one hand a tea-pot, in the other a -cup and a sugar-bowl full of sugar; she approached the invalid and -placed all those objects on the table beside his bed. - -"Here I am, monsieur; I'm a little late this morning, perhaps, but I -wanted to make this tea that was ordered for you, before I came down; I -have brought it with me; it's scalding hot, and you must drink it." - -Roncherolle dissembled his agony and tried to smile at Violette, as he -said to her: - -"How good you are, my child! how kind to a person whom you hardly know, -and who has no claim upon your interest!" - -"No claim! well, upon my word! when I was sick, didn't you come to see -me? And you didn't know me at all! I should be very ungrateful if I did -not do for you what you did for me." - -"But such a difference; in the first place, you were hardly sick at all; -and then it is always a pleasure to make oneself useful to a young lady; -whereas a sick old man is not an agreeable object." - -"Oh, yes! you are very agreeable, when you are not in too much pain; you -always have stories and adventures to tell us.--But how are you feeling -this morning?" - -"Still about the same; a little better, perhaps." - -"No, I see by your face that you suffered terribly during the night, -that you are suffering still!" - -"No; when you are here, I suffer less." - -"Very well; then you should let me pass the night with you, as I wanted -to." - -"God forbid that you should go without sleep on my account, and be sick -again perhaps. I won't have it; and besides, my dear neighbor, there's -nothing to be done for the disease that I have--one simply must know how -to suffer." - -"I don't believe that myself; there must be remedies for everything. -Drink this now. Here, sweeten it to suit yourself." - -"This is strange; this sugar-bowl is full, and yet I remember that there -were only a few pieces in it yesterday." - -Violette turned her face away as she replied: - -"Oh! you were--you had some more--in a paper, and I put it with the -other." - -Roncherolle looked at the girl, but she was busily engaged in putting -the room in order.--Chicotin arrived at that moment, with a red nose, -and beating his hands together. - -"Good-morning, bourgeois and the company," he cried. "How does it go -this morning, bourgeois?" - -"Not very well, my boy." - -"Mere Lamort told me to tell you that she couldn't come up this morning; -Mirontaine has swallowed a bone that stuck in his throat, so that he -ain't able to bark and watch the door." - -"Oh! bless my soul! we don't need the concierge," said Violette; "am I -not here?" - -"But you have your business that demands your attention, my child," said -Roncherolle, "and I don't propose that you shall neglect your business -for me; in fact, it's already late, I think, and you should be at your -stand." - -"No, monsieur, it isn't late; and anyway this isn't a market day, and in -such weather as this, I am in no hurry; I shouldn't sell anything, for -there won't be anyone out of doors." - -"It's beastly weather, that's true enough!" cried Chicotin; "and cold! -why, my nose and fingers are frozen stiff. But it ain't very warm in -your room either, bourgeois; _bigre!_ it's just the same as being on -the boulevard." - -"Well, stir up the fire, put on some wood." - -"I ask nothing better." - -Chicotin looked in all directions, then went into the outer room, and -returned in a moment, saying: - -"There's one little difficulty, bourgeois, and that is that I don't find -any wood; the wood pile seems to have gone up in smoke." - -"Already! the devil! the wood seems to go faster than the sugar!" - -"Oh! that's easy to understand--it's dearer, because--look you, -bourgeois, here's a comparison: for fifteen sous, you get three or four -sticks of wood; they're bigger than a pound of sugar, to be sure, but -they're very soon burned up; in one day they're all gone; whereas, with -a pound of sugar, you've got something to lap and sip for a long while!" - -"I'll do without fire," said Roncherolle. "Lying in bed, I don't need -it, and my little neighbor is going away." - -"What a bungling fellow you are, Chicotin!" said Violette to the young -messenger, in an undertone; "you shouldn't have said anything, but when -you saw that there wasn't any wood in the other room, you should have -gone up to my room; you would have found some there. You know that -Monsieur de Roncherolle isn't willing that anybody should lend him -anything, so we must help him without letting him suspect it; and I -don't propose that he shall stay without a fire." - -"That is true, I am an idiot!" muttered Chicotin, shaking his head; "but -bless my soul! I couldn't guess all that. Never mind, don't worry, I'll -fix it all right; I'll find some way to make a fire." - -"Monsieur," said the girl, returning to the invalid, "if I remember -right, the doctor who came to see you yesterday prescribed medicine for -your gout." - -"Doctors don't know of any remedy for this disease, my neighbor; several -of them have told me this themselves when talking with me." - -"Nonsense! I have been told of several people who were entirely cured; -and I remember now--it was syrup of _Boubee_ that he told you to take." - -"That is quite possible." - -"I beg you, monsieur, take some of it; even if it should do nothing but -lessen the pain, would that not be a great gain?" - -"As you insist upon it, I will take some." - -"If you are willing, monsieur, I won't stay long in my booth to-day, and -I will bring you some in a little while when I come home." - -"No, no, my little neighbor, I won't have it; for you never tell me the -price of things; you manage so that they cost me almost nothing. But I -don't propose to have that, and I shall be angry if you go on acting in -that way; I shall be obliged to deprive myself of the pleasure of seeing -you." - -"Oh! it wouldn't do any good for you to forbid me to come, monsieur; I -should come all the same!" - -Violette said this with such heartfelt earnestness that Roncherolle felt -the tears gather in his eyes. He pressed the girl's hand and replied in -a cheerful tone: - -"I will obey you, neighbor; come, Chicotin, my groom, come here." - -"Here I am, bourgeois." - -"Go to the druggist's on the corner of the boulevard, and ask for some -syrup of Boubee. Will you remember that name?" - -"I should say so; it isn't hard to remember. Syrup of Poupee." - -"Boubee, you idiot! not Poupee." - -"Oh! very good." - -"Wait; I prefer to write it for you." - -"On the whole, that will be better; my tongue might slip again." - -"Here you are; and take that two-franc piece there--upon my table; I am -inclined to believe that that will be enough." - -"Let us hope so! a paltry syrup--that can't cost so much as that; for -two francs you could get a lot of molasses.--I will go right away, -bourgeois." - -"Aren't you going to your stand, my little neighbor?" Roncherolle asked -Violette, who was stooping in front of the fire, trying to make the two -sticks burn by putting under them all the old papers that were lying -about the room. - -"In a minute, neighbor; I will wait until Chicotin comes back." - -"And your love-affairs, my child, how do they come on? You are fully -reconciled with your young lover now, I hope?" - -"Yes, monsieur. Oh! Georget loves me dearly; he comes to see me every -day at my booth, and I am very happy, except when he frightens me." - -"What's that? your lover frightens you?" - -"You will understand, monsieur; Georget has never forgotten the -abominable remarks that that Monsieur Jericourt made about me, and the -trap he led me into; but, monsieur, you don't know--Georget says that he -will kill Monsieur Jericourt." - -"He is right; he is a fine fellow; in his place, I would do the same." - -"But I don't want him to fight; for, after all, monsieur, the man who is -in the right doesn't always win; and if Georget were killed, I should be -very unhappy." - -"You are right; that boy must not take the risk; he is so -young--eighteen, did you tell me?" - -"Yes, monsieur." - -"Then he probably doesn't know anything about the sword or the pistol?" - -"Nothing at all; he would be killed instantly." - -"Patience, my little neighbor. Corbleu! if only I could get well!--But I -hear Chicotin, I believe." - -The young messenger returned with a sheepish expression, holding the -two-franc piece in his hand. - -"Well, where is the syrup, Chicotin?" asked Roncherolle. - -"The syrup is at the druggist's, monsieur." - -"What do you mean by that?" - -"I mean that it's an outrage! Just fancy that a little bottle no bigger -than my wrist costs twelve francs!" - -"Twelve francs?" - -"Yes, monsieur, syrup of Poupee twelve francs, no less; it wasn't any -use for me to say: 'Put me up forty sous' worth in a little pomade box'; -he laughed in my face and told me they didn't sell it at retail; he -showed me a bottle, all sealed, with the price on it. Then I said: 'If -the gout can only be cured at that price, only rich people can be -cured!'--'Only rich people have the gout,' said the clerk. I say, -bourgeois, that's nonsense, ain't it? For it seems to me that you're -none too well fixed." - -Violette nudged Chicotin, saying in an undertone: - -"You ought to have said that the syrup wasn't ready, and I would have -gone out and bought it and paid for it without letting Monsieur de -Roncherolle know the price." - -"He would have found it out all the same, mamzelle, for the price is -pasted on the bottle; it wouldn't have been possible to deceive him, and -how he would have sworn then!" - -Roncherolle had dropped his head on the pillow, and said nothing more. -Chicotin handed him the two-franc piece, saying: - -"Shall I buy anything else with this, bourgeois?" - -"You may buy some wood, my boy, and make a fire; but not until evening; -for my little neighbor comes to sit with me in the evening, and I don't -want her to freeze in my room.--Now leave me, my children; I don't want -anything more, and I am going to try to sleep." - -Violette pressed the invalid's hand and went out, with a feeling of -oppression at her heart; Chicotin followed her, muttering: - -"Poor dear man, not to be able to buy what might cure him; it ain't very -gay here; but never mind, I will come back soon and see if he wants -something else that don't cost so much." - -"And you won't spend his two francs, will you, Chicotin? you must get -some wood in my room." - -"Yes, mamzelle, but what shall I do with his money? I can't give it back -to him." - -"Keep it; it will serve to buy something else which may be dearer still; -and you mustn't tell him, as you did to-day. To think of his being -without a fire, in such cold weather, and when he is suffering so! for -to-day I could see on his face the efforts he made to conceal his -suffering; why, it makes me want to cry!" - -"After all, Mamzelle Violette, you mustn't feel so bad for somebody who -ain't anything to you." - -"Oh! he is so wretched, without relations, or friends, sick and poor; -and then there are people for whom you feel affection right away; and -Georget won't be jealous of him; I feel that I have a sincere affection -for him." - -"I am going to see if Mirontaine is cured, and if Madame Lamort can go -up." - -Violette had been at her stand for some time, when Monsieur de Brevanne -came there and inquired about her neighbor. The girl gave him an exact -description of his plight; she concealed nothing from him, neither his -suffering, nor the privations which he was obliged to undergo, nor the -pride which made him refuse any assistance in the form of money. - -"He has no fire now," said Violette, her eyes wet with tear; "and he -isn't willing that we should make him one before evening, because I go -to sit with him in the evening, poor man! and he did not have the money -to buy something that might perhaps have cured him.--Ah! he is very -unfortunate!" - -The count listened attentively to the girl's story; Roncherolle's -position touched him more than he chose to show. He stood for some time -buried in thought, then he said to Violette: - -"I would like to judge for myself of this gentleman's plight, of his -situation, but I should not want him to see me." - -"That is very easy, monsieur; in the first place, Monsieur de -Roncherolle never leaves his bed, and a person can stand in the outer -room and look into the other without his seeing him; in the second -place, he often sleeps, and I am always careful not to wake him." - -"Well, I will go this evening, I will go to see you, with Georget." - -"Oh! how kind it is of you, monsieur! I am very sure that you will have -compassion on my poor neighbor." - -"On your account--it is possible.--But not a word concerning me, my -child!" - -"Oh! I am dumb, monsieur; but I am very glad that you are coming to see -my neighbor." - -About eight o'clock in the evening, Violette was installed in -Roncherolle's room; he had been dozing for some time, and when he woke, -his eyes met those of the young girl, who, as she mended her neighbor's -linen, glanced at him often to see if he were asleep. - -"Really, my dear child," said Roncherolle, "your kindness to me fills me -with gratitude, and reconciles me to your sex; for, if I must admit it, -I had but a very slight esteem for women." - -"Why so, monsieur? have they injured you?" - -"Not exactly; but they are responsible for my having injured others, and -that amounts to the same thing." - -"Why no, monsieur, if they didn't advise you to do it." - -"They do not need to advise us to make fools of ourselves; they lead us -into it easily enough without that." - -"I don't understand, monsieur." - -"So much the better for you, my child.--But what are you doing there? -God forgive me, I believe that you are patching my rags!" - -"Well! I had nothing to do, and I like to be busy; I thought that it -wouldn't offend you if I should take a few stitches in your linen." - -"Offend me! ah! my dear girl, you are too kind to me; one does not take -offence with those who are so kind to them. Ah me! when I think----" - -Here Roncherolle paused and heaved a profound sigh. Violette looked up -at him and said: - -"What are you thinking about, monsieur, that makes you sigh so? You -mustn't think of melancholy things when you are sick." - -"I am thinking, my dear child, that I might have with me--my own -daughter,--who, however, I am sure, would take no better care of me than -you do." - -"Your daughter! what, monsieur, you have a daughter, and she is not with -you when you are ill and suffering!" - -"If she is not with me, it is not her fault,--it is mine." - -"Ah! then it is you who have sent her away, and she is not in Paris, of -course?" - -"No, she is not in Paris." - -"Why don't you write for her to come, to join you?" - -"I don't want to disturb her." - -"How old is your daughter?" - -"Nineteen." - -"Why, that is just my age!" - -"Ah! you are nineteen? And what about your parents? I never see them -with you. But I remember now, that you told me that you had lost them." - -"I never knew my parents, monsieur; I am an abandoned child!" - -"Abandoned! is it possible? what a strange coincidence!--Were you -abandoned in Paris?" - -Violette, remembering the count's injunction, replied hesitatingly: - -"Why--I don't know, monsieur; I--I think so." - -"Poor child, what a pity! her parents do not realize what a treasure -they cast away." - -Roncherolle buried his face in his pillow, murmuring: - -"But my child--I do not know her; perhaps she too is lovely and good! -ah! if I could only find her! But no! why should I wish to? to force her -to share my destitution?--No, it is better as it is." - -The invalid dropped asleep. Violette was anxiously awaiting that moment, -for she had heard noises in the outer room for several moments, and she -guessed who it might be. As soon as she was certain that Roncherolle was -asleep, she arose and softly opened the door of the other room, where -she found Monsieur de Brevanne and Georget. - -"My neighbor is asleep; you may come in, monsieur," said Violette to the -count. - -"You are quite sure that he is asleep, my child?" - -"Yes, monsieur. You can tell by listening to him, his breathing is so -difficult. Poor man! it seems that he has suffered terribly all day, and -he is taking advantage of a little respite from pain, to rest." - -"But you were talking just now." - -"Yes, monsieur.--Oh! if you knew--he has a daughter, the poor man, and -he said that he bitterly regretted not having her with him." - -"Oho! he spoke to you of his daughter, did he?" - -"Yes, monsieur; can you imagine that she does not come to take care of -him, her father, when he is sick?" - -"Did he tell you why she was not with him?" - -"No, monsieur; he simply said that it was his fault.--But come in, -monsieur; he is sound asleep." - -"Yes, I will come in. Stay here, my child, and talk with Georget; but -don't talk too loud." - -"No, there's no danger of that, monsieur," said Georget; "we understand -each other perfectly well simply by looking at each other." - -The count entered the room occupied by Roncherolle. A single tallow -candle, which was badly in need of snuffing, lighted that room with a -dim, uncertain light; it enabled the visitor, however, to distinguish a -cheap wall paper, torn or lacking altogether in several places; a window -with large cracks, and without curtains, in which one pane was broken, -its place being ill supplied by paper; two or three pieces of cheap -black walnut furniture; a painted cot, on which was a coarse flock bed -and a very thin mattress; on the mantel, a small mirror in a wooden -frame, and on the hearth two tiny bits of wood, which were hardly -burning. - -Everything in that abode indicated poverty and privation; and the cold -that one felt there, the wind that one could hear whistling in all -directions, heightened the melancholy impression which one was certain -to feel at finding an invalid in such a place. - -Monsieur de Brevanne noticed and scrutinized everything; then he walked -to the bed and gazed at Roncherolle, whose features were more than ever -changed by suffering and want, and who, even in his sleep, seemed to be -struggling with pain. - -"The wretched man!" said the count to himself; "is this what the future -seemed to promise him? Endowed with every advantage, possessor of a -handsome fortune, this is what his passions have brought him to!--It is -all over; I can think no more of the vengeance which I was determined to -wreak upon him; heaven has undertaken that duty; and besides, I should -not have the courage to deprive Violette of her father; I do not know -whether men will blame me, but something tells me that the time has come -to forgive." - -Roncherolle moved in his sleep, and the count instantly left the room -and joined the two young sweet-hearts, who had not found the time long. - -"Well, monsieur, you have seen him," said Violette; "is he really the -man whom you used to know?" - -"Yes, my child; but not a word about my visit!" - -"Oh! have no fear, monsieur." - -"Come, Georget, let us go." - -Georget considered that he had had very little time to talk to Violette; -but he dared not make any remark, and took his leave with the count, -after exchanging a loving pressure of the hand with his sweetheart. - -The next morning, about nine o'clock, Violette was in her neighbor's -room once more; he was feeling a little better, and was telling her -about a strange dream he had had, when Chicotin arrived, bringing with -him a letter, which he handed to Roncherolle. - -"For you, bourgeois; it just came, so your concierge told me." - -"Who can have written me? I don't know this writing," said Roncherolle, -as he broke the seal. But in an instant, he uttered a cry of surprise. - -"My children, you could never guess what this letter contains; listen. - - "'Monsieur: - - "'One of your debtors, Monsieur de Juvigny, has instructed me to - send you a thousand francs on account of what he owes you.' - -"Signed--the devil take me if I can read it--Dubois or Dubosc.--But the -thousand-franc note is inside all right; here it is!" - -"Ah! what good luck, monsieur! how happy it makes me for you!" said -Violette. - -"Name of an--excuse me, bourgeois, but I am so glad that I brought that -letter for you!" - -"Thanks, my friends, thanks, I am trying to remember--Yes, Juvigny did -owe me money--I can't remember just how much; but when I inquired about -him a few months ago, I was told that he was travelling." - -"He must have sent word to this person to send you this sum, monsieur." - -"Faith! I hardly expected this restitution. The money arrives most -opportunely, but I can't get over my surprise!" - -"You see, monsieur, that I told you that your dream meant good luck." - -"You can buy all the syrup of Poupee that you want now, bourgeois." - -"Yes, my boy, and my little neighbor will be kind enough to do that for -me, and change this note. Here, my dear, is the note, here's the -thousand francs which seems to have fallen from heaven!" - -"Ah! I have a strong suspicion where it fell from, myself!" thought -Violette as she left the room. - - - - -XLII - -THE PIE - - -Ten days after the receipt of the letter containing the thousand francs, -Roncherolle was walking on the boulevard, alert and active, feeling not -a trace of his gout, and wrapped in a warm, stylish overcoat, with a new -hat on his head, patent leather shoes on his feet, in a word, dressed -with a care and elegance which changed him completely and made him look -almost like a young man. - -In front of the Gymnase Theatre, Roncherolle felt a hand on his arm, and -he turned and recognized his former neighbor, young Alfred de -Saint-Arthur. - -"Ah! good-morning, my dear monsieur, delighted to meet you!" - -"Good-morning, my dear Monsieur de Roncherolle. I can no longer say my -neighbor, for you are not my neighbor now. You went off like a bomb -without telling me, without leaving me your address; that was very -unkind. That idiot of a Beauvinet,--you know, the young man at the -hotel,--insisted upon it that you lived at Passage I-don't-know-where. -Ah! that was a good one! that was very good!" - -"You didn't try to find me at that place?" - -"Oh, no! I wasn't taken in by that blockhead of a Beauvinet. I said to -myself: 'My neighbor must have had reasons for moving and not leaving -his address; such things happen every day, and indeed I think that it -may happen to me very soon.'--But I regretted you all the same; on my -word of honor I regretted you." - -"That is too kind of you." - -"But there was someone who regretted you much more than I did. Can't you -guess?" - -"Faith, no." - -"It was Zizi--you know--Zizi Dutaillis." - -"Oh, yes! I remember perfectly--a very agreeable little woman." - -"Well, you made a conquest of her. Every day she said to me: 'Do find -Monsieur de Roncherolle; invite me to dine again with Monsieur de -Roncherolle; I want him to teach me other ways of--you know what.'--In -fact, I never see her that she doesn't talk about you, and if you were -younger and--and--and fresher, I should be jealous of you." - -"Thanks, thanks, a thousand times!" - -"By the way, allow me to congratulate you; you walk very well; have you -got rid of your gout?" - -"For the time; it has held me pretty tight this fall." - -"And you have a bearing, a style--that coat you have on is very -well-made, very well-cut, and of handsome cloth; is it wadded?" - -"As you say." - -"On my word of honor! I don't say it to flatter you, but in that -overcoat you look ten years younger!" - -"In that case I am very sorry that I have only one." - -"By the way, let me tell you that I have profited by your lessons--you -know, the way to drink champagne,--two glasses, one on top of the other, -in a plate." - -"Yes; well?" - -"I have succeeded, I can do it; to be sure, I broke a dozen glasses, but -I succeeded; your pupil does you credit." - -"I never doubted your ability--to drink champagne." - -"And that isn't all: you know my parrot, that I was teaching--the one -that led to our becoming acquainted?" - -"Yes, I remember him; is he dead?" - -"No indeed; he is as well as you or I. But the delightful part of it is -that I have succeeded again." - -"Really, you have made great progress since we last met." - -"My parrot says now what I wanted him to." - -"That was 'Good-morning, Monsieur Brillant,' I believe?" - -"No, deuce take it! he said that too much! He says--and only since -yesterday, so you see that it isn't an old story--he says: 'Dutaillis is -lovely! applaud, clap Zizi!'" - -"Ah! if he says all that, it's very fine; your friend must be -enchanted." - -"I haven't given him to her yet, because it was only yesterday that he -said the whole sentence; and you understand that, before giving him to -Zizi, I wanted to be certain that he wouldn't make a mistake, that he -wouldn't make a slip of the tongue." - -"That was decidedly prudent on your part." - -"By the way, an idea, a splendid idea has just occurred to me!" - -"The deuce! try to hold on to it." - -"You must be kind enough to dine with Zizi and me. In the first place, -you owe us more lessons in champagne drinking." - -"Really, you are very tempting, but----" - -"Listen: during the dinner, I will have my parrot brought in, in--no -matter what, I will find something--and he will deliver his compliment -to my wife; you know we say 'my wife' now in speaking of a mistress, and -she says 'my husband.'" - -"I didn't know that, and I confess that I should prefer anything else." - -"And what do you say to my idea about the bird? Fancy Zizi's surprise -when she hears a compliment, and doesn't know where it comes from!" - -"Why yes, that may well be amusing." - -"Then it is agreed; we will dine together the day after to-morrow. Yes, -two days more, and then I shall be very sure that my parrot won't make a -mistake. Just we three will dine together, to laugh as loud as we -please, and talk nonsense; and at Bonvalet's as before. You agree, do -you not, my dear neighbor? I say 'my dear neighbor' from habit." - -"Excuse me, my dear Saint-Arthur, your invitation is certainly very -kind, but----" - -"Oh! no buts! Zizi will be so pleased to dine with you again! you can't -refuse." - -"I accept, but on one condition." - -"Well, what is it? Speak; I agree to it in advance." - -"Well, it is that your friend, Monsieur Jericourt, shall also be of the -party as before." - -"The deuce! you surprise me! you want Jericourt to be one of us? Why, I -thought that you didn't like him." - -"I say again, if you wish to have me, have that gentleman too; I have a -special reason for wishing to meet him." - -"That makes a difference; in that case, I will invite him; he shall be -one of us. I have not seen so much of him lately. He lives in the -Chaussee d'Antin. He puts on a lot of airs because he has had a play -accepted at the Odeon.--But no matter, he will come." - -"Don't mention me to him; I fancy that that would make him disinclined -to come." - -"I will mention nothing but the bird to him." - -"What I ask you will not annoy mademoiselle, I hope?" - -"Annoy her? why, pray? She will worry Jericourt, and we will laugh at -him.--I may rely upon you now, may I not?" - -"Absolutely." - -"Until the day after to-morrow then, at half-past five, at Bonvalet's." - -"I shall not fail you." - -Saint-Arthur shook Roncherolle's hand and left him; Roncherolle -continued his walk, but more slowly, like a person too much engrossed to -notice what is going on about him. - -On the second day thereafter, about five o'clock in the afternoon, -Roncherolle, who had taken much pains with his toilet, walked toward the -booth of the pretty flower girl of the Chateau d'Eau. - -Violette greeted her neighbor with a pleasant smile, saying: - -"Ah! what a pleasure it is to see you like this, monsieur! how well you -look! no one would ever suspect that you had been so sick." - -"If I have recovered my health, it is due to you, my dear child, due to -your nursing, to your pleasant company." - -"Oh! monsieur, you forget that syrup which did you so much good, which -cured you." - -"Perhaps the syrup may have had something to do with it, but you had -much more." - -"Are you going to walk, monsieur? It is cold, but fine." - -"I am going to dine out, my little neighbor; a feast at Monsieur -Bonvalet's, nothing less." - -"Oh! do be prudent then, monsieur; they say, you know, that with gout -you mustn't drink champagne." - -"But I no longer have the gout." - -"True, but suppose that should bring it back again?" - -"We mustn't anticipate misfortunes so far ahead. However, I will be -prudent, and in order that I may not forget your advice, I will ask you -for a small bunch of violets." - -"With pleasure, monsieur.--See, is this one big enough?" - -"Quite big enough; be kind enough to fasten it tight into my -buttonhole." - -"Gladly; there, now it is done, and I promise you that it won't come -out.--That is very nice! you look as if you were my true knight now." - -"And so I am, my child," replied Roncherolle, emphasizing his words, -"and I hope to perform the duties of the post." - -"Why, how solemnly you say that!" - -"Au revoir, my dear neighbor, au revoir!" - -The young flower girl looked after Roncherolle, overcome by an emotion -which she could not understand, and still murmuring: - -"How he said that! I will bet that he has some purpose in wearing that -bouquet in his buttonhole." - -Meanwhile, Roncherolle, who did not propose to keep the others waiting, -soon arrived at Bonvalet's, where he found the young actress and -Saint-Arthur. Mademoiselle Zizi expressed all the pleasure that she felt -at renewing her acquaintance with the professor of champagne, and said -to him, scrutinizing him from head to foot: - -"Why, how fine we are! how coquettish we are! we walk almost without -limping, and we have such a _chicarde_ air!--you look after yourself, -you do, whereas Alfred takes no care of himself at all." - -"What's that? I take no care of myself?" - -"No, monsieur; your cravats have been wretchedly tied lately, and your -trousers don't fit as tight as they used to." - -"They are not worn tight now." - -"If I want you to wear tight ones, why it seems to me that you ought to -adopt my taste.--Ah! what a pretty bunch of violets you have there, old -fellow! where did you get that, you old Cupid? From some charmer, I will -wager!" - -"It is true that I got them from a charming young girl." - -"Aha! give us the story; tell us all about it." - -"I will tell you about it, but not now; at dessert, with your -permission; it will have all the more charm." - -"All right, at dessert it is. By the way, so you wanted to dine with -Jericourt, did you? When Alfred told me that, I confess that I was -mightily surprised, you agreed so badly the other time. I said to -myself: 'There's something underneath this; Monsieur de Roncherolle has -invented some practical joke, some farce that he proposes to play on -him;' am I right?" - -"I don't say no; but don't ask any more questions; I am keeping that -also in reserve for the dessert." - -"Well, well! it seems that we shall laugh at dessert." - -"Yes, yes," said Saint-Arthur with a meaning glance at Roncherolle. "Oh -yes! our dinner will be most amusing, and we shall laugh, I trust, at -dessert. We shall have some surprises, some unexpected incidents." - -"What on earth is that idiot talking about? He assumes a mysterious air. -Frefred, I have an idea that you have some gallant attention in store -for me--is it true, my adored one?" - -"I can't tell you anything; you will see!" - -This conversation was interrupted by Jericourt's arrival. That gentleman -seemed surprised at sight of Roncherolle; however, he manifested no -annoyance, and saluted the party with a smile. - -"Aha! Jericourt doesn't keep us waiting to-day; that is magnificent!" -cried Zizi; "but something extraordinary must have happened to him." - -"Nothing has happened to me but the desire to be in your company as soon -as possible, fair lady." - -"Well! what did I say? that is extraordinary enough!" - -While the literary man addressed a few words to the young actress, -Saint-Arthur approached Roncherolle and whispered in his ear: - -"I have thought of a delightful way to have my bird come in and speak, -without being seen." - -"Indeed! what is it?" - -"A pie--you know, like those they have on the stage; it will be brought -in and put on the table, and the parrot will be inside." - -"That may be amusing, in truth; but on the stage pasteboard pies may -create an illusion; here, on the contrary, seen at such close quarters, -I am afraid that it will miss its effect." - -"Oh! I anticipated that, and so it will have a genuine pie crust. I gave -my orders to Beauvinet, and he is to take the bird to an excellent -pastry cook, who is to cover it with the crust; then Beauvinet will -bring us the pie." - -"That makes a difference; in that case, the illusion will be perfect." - -"Isn't it an ingenious plan?" - -"But aren't you afraid that your parrot will stifle in the pie?" - -"Why so? They are shut up in cages." - -"True, but I should say that they have more air there." - -"Bah! just for a short time. Besides, I told Beauvinet to tell them to -make some little holes on top, so that he may have light, and that we -may hear him plainly." - -"In that case, everything will be all right." - -They took their places at the table. Jericourt treated Roncherolle with -the utmost ceremony; but from time to time, he cast his eyes upon the -bunch of violets which the latter wore in his buttonhole, and then a -mocking smile played about his lips; but Roncherolle apparently did not -notice it. - -"The champagne lessons will come with the dessert," said Saint-Arthur, -"because they always disarrange the table a bit. We spill the champagne -over ourselves, so it is better to wait." - -"It is all one to me," said Zizi; "I am quite willing to wait now, for I -have fallen violently in love with madeira." - -"And monsieur is arranging some lessons even more unique than the last, -no doubt?" said Jericourt, addressing Roncherolle. - -"Yes, monsieur; in fact, I am preparing a lesson for you, which, I -fancy, you hardly expect." - -Meanwhile, after the first course, Saint-Arthur betrayed the liveliest -impatience, and kept ringing for the waiter and asking him: - -"Has no one come to see me? Isn't there any messenger outside for me?" - -"No, monsieur, no one has come." - -"The deuce! he is very late!" - -"What! are you expecting other guests?" said Jericourt. - -"Yes,--that is to say, I am expecting something for the dinner." - -"A surprise he has arranged for me," said Zizi; "I haven't any idea what -it is, but I like to think that it will be superb!" - -At last the waiter announced: - -"Monsieur, there's a man here with a pie." - -"Ah! very good! bravo! show him in." - -"What! is your surprise a pie?" cried the young woman; "why, that is -perfectly ridiculous. I don't like pie at dinner!" - -"This one, my dear love, is not like most pies.--Come, Beauvinet, come -in!" - -The old young man from the lodging house appeared, bringing a very -handsome pie, which he held as if it were the keys of a conquered town; -he placed it on the table, looked about at everybody with a -self-satisfied expression; then pulled his wig over his left ear. - -Everybody looked at the pie, which had an inviting aspect. Saint-Arthur -seemed overjoyed; he jumped up and down on his chair, exclaiming: - -"Ah! I should say that that is the thing!" - -"It is a very handsome pie," said Jericourt. "Where did it come from? -Strasbourg?" - -"Oh, no! not from so far away." - -"Come, Frefred," said Zizi, "if the pie is so delicious, cut into it and -let us taste it." - -"One moment, my dear love, one moment; it isn't to be cut into like -that; I request silence for a moment, and attention." - -And the young host, putting his face down to the pie, said in an -undertone: - -"Dutaillis is lovely.--Come, Coco, come, come!" - -"What's this? Alfred is talking to the pie now!" cried Zizi, opening her -eyes to their fullest extent. - -"Hush, my dear love! hush I say!--Come, Coco--Dutaillis is--go on." - -But in vain did they listen and wait; the pie maintained the most -profound silence. - -"Are you playing proverbs with the pie, my Bibi?" - -"Yes, I am playing--that is to say, the pie is going to speak." - -"The pie going to speak! ah! I would like right well to hear it, on my -word!" - -"Just a little patience. I can't understand what the matter is with him; -he must have gone to sleep in there.--Coco, Coco--Dutaillis is -lovely.--Ah! you won't speak, won't you? I will wake you up." - -And Saint-Arthur, taking the huge pie in both hands, began to shake it -with all his strength; then he replaced it on the table, saying: - -"Will you speak now, you beast?" - -While they waited again in silence, Monsieur Beauvinet ventured to blow -his nose, which drew down upon his head a stern reprimand from his -tenant. - -"But whom are you calling a beast, and what is it that's in the pie?" -asked Mademoiselle Zizi, beginning to get tired of keeping still for -nothing. - -"Well, my dear love, it is a parrot, a magnificent parrot, which I have -taught to say: 'Dutaillis is lovely! applaud, clap Zizi!'" - -"Ah! the poor creature! is it possible? Why, he must be stifled in -there; that's why he doesn't speak.--Monsieur de Roncherolle, take the -crust off at once." - -"Are all the windows closed?" asked Saint-Arthur; "we must look out that -he doesn't fly away.--See to it, Beauvinet." - -Beauvinet made a strange grimace, but did not stir. - -"I have a shrewd idea that he won't fly away;" said Roncherolle, as he -ran his knife around the crust of the pie. - -"Look out, be careful, don't stick the knife in, or you will cut the -bird." - -"There's no danger." - -At last the upper crust was taken off, and nothing came out of the pie. -They all put their heads forward to look inside; but instead of a living -bird, they saw only what is always found in a chicken pie: jelly, and -the stuffing around the principal piece, on top of which there was a -slice of pork. - -Saint-Arthur was stupefied; his guests with difficulty restrained their -desire to laugh. - -"What does this mean, Beauvinet? where is my bird, my parrot? what have -you done with him?" - -"Your bird is there, monsieur; I did what you told me to: I carried him -to the pastry cook, and told him to put him into the pie." - -"Ah! you villain! you miserable wretch! how could you fail to understand -me? I told you that I only wanted the crust put around him." - -"Well, there is nothing but crust around him." - -"And I added: 'You must have holes made in the top to give him air, so -that we may hear him plainly.'" - -"I understood: 'So that we may smell him plainly;'[B] and the pastry -cook said: 'I never make holes in my pies; your parrot will be a little -tough, but I'll just lard him and stuff him, so that no one will ever -know what it is.'" - -[B] - - I said: 'pour qu'on l'entende bien.' - I understood: 'pour qu'on le sente bien.' - - -At that point, roars of laughter from Zizi, Roncherolle and Jericourt -made it impossible to hear the groans and lamentations of Alfred, who, -in a fit of desperation, attempted to throw the pie at Beauvinet's head; -but he was prevented, and Roncherolle said to him: - -"As the harm is done, we must make the best of it; as I presume that no -one here has ever eaten parrot pie, I suggest that we taste it." - -"Yes, let us taste it," said Zizi. "I will tell this story at the -theatre, and my comrades will have a good laugh at it." - -"It doesn't make me laugh! the result of such long-continued toil; and -just at the moment when I had finished his education, and when he began -to talk so famously!" - -"Will you have a little piece, Saint-Arthur?" - -"I? never! but yes--just a taste.--That rascally pastry cook! he was -quite right to say that no one would know what it was; but he will have -to give me back the feathers, at least." - -"Pouah! how nasty it is," said Zizi, pushing her plate away. "So tough -that you can't chew it." - -"And a certain flavor which is not exactly agreeable," said Jericourt. -"The pastry cook did not disguise it quite enough." - -"Here, take all this away," said Roncherolle, handing the plate with the -pie to Beauvinet; "and for your punishment, eat it!" - -"Yes, clear out with it, you stupid beast!" cried Saint-Arthur. "Off -with you, and if I wasn't holding myself back--What an ass he is! I am -sure that if one should tell him to take a dog to the pastry-cook he -would have it made into a pie." - -Beauvinet took the pie under his arm, and angrily pulled his wig over -his right ear, grumbling: "They don't know what they want; I do what -they tell me to, and they ain't satisfied! Let them make their pies -themselves after this." - - - - -XLIII - -A DUEL - - -The adventure of the pie amused the guests mightily; Saint-Arthur alone -did not share his friends' gayety; at every mouthful that he swallowed, -he muttered: - -"My poor parrot! my poor Coco! how prettily he said: 'Dutaillis is -lovely!'--What a misfortune!--'Applaud, clap Zizi!'--I shall never be -consoled." - -"You are going to begin by being consoled right away," said the young -actress; "and don't bore us any longer with your complaints. Don't you -see that the story of your pie is a hundred times better and funnier -than your bird would have been? But here comes the dessert. I want some -champagne now, and I want my good friend Roncherolle to keep his promise -to us." - -"Monsieur is going to begin his exercises!" said Jericourt ironically. -"Let us see if it is the same thing as at Nicolet's: worse and worse and -more of it." - -"We will do our utmost to satisfy monsieur," replied Roncherolle, -emptying a glass of champagne. - -"But first of all," said Zizi, "as I am rather inquisitive, I want to -hear the story of that little bunch of violets that you promised me." - -"Ah! so he has stories too!" muttered the literary man; "sapristi! we -are going to have a deal of entertainment!" - -"Perhaps you will have much more than you expect, monsieur," replied -Roncherolle, with a meaning glance at Jericourt. "But I begin--this -little bunch of violets I got from a flower girl,--nothing more -commonplace than that, eh? But what is less commonplace is that this -young flower girl, who is remarkably pretty, is as virtuous and -respectable as she is pretty. Now, this is what happened to her last -summer: a young man of the world, a dandy, who, I believe, claims to be -a literary man, saw the charming flower girl and found her to his -liking; he made such speeches to her as all young men make to pretty -girls--thus far there was nothing that was not perfectly natural." - -"I say!" cried Saint-Arthur; "why, that's like Jericourt and----" - -"Pray let monsieur finish!" said Jericourt, who had become very -attentive within a few seconds. - -"But, as I was saying, the pretty flower girl, who is virtuous and who, -moreover, is in love with a handsome young fellow, did not listen to our -dandy's suggestions, but received them very coldly. What does he do to -triumph over the girl? He sends a man to order and pay for a very -handsome bouquet, with a request to the flower girl to carry it herself -to a lady whose address he gives her, informing her that that lady will -have other orders for her. The girl falls into the snare--for you will -guess that she was sent to the gallant himself, who had told his -concierge to allow the flower girl to go up to his room." - -"Why, this is strange, it resembles----" - -"Hold your tongue, Frefred! this story interests me immensely." - -Jericourt did not utter a word, but he had become very pale. Roncherolle -continued his narrative, with his eyes still fastened upon him. - -"Behold then our flower girl in the young man's room, which she had -entered without suspicion, for a woman had opened the door. But soon he -who has been persecuting her with his addresses appears; he is alone -with her, he no longer conceals his purpose to triumph over her -resistance; the girl sees her danger, summons all her courage, and -resists so effectively that the enterprising gentleman receives upon his -face the marks of that stout defence--indeed, they have not altogether -disappeared yet; he is obliged to let a woman who defends herself so -well go her way. You will assume that that was the end of it all; and -indeed, it should have been; but no, because that girl was virtuous, -because she did not choose to cease to be virtuous, because she had -given her heart to another, the gentleman in question deemed it becoming -to proclaim everywhere that the pretty flower girl had been his -mistress, that she had come to his room of her own free will,--in short, -that she was an abandoned girl; he dishonored her in the eyes of all -those who loved her. I say that that is dastardly, infamous! and do not -you think that so much lying and slander deserve to be punished?" - -Zizi said nothing because she had guessed the truth; Jericourt bit his -lips and also held his peace; but Frefred exclaimed: - -"This is strange--your story--one would say--where does your pretty -flower girl stand?" - -"Near here, on Boulevard du Chateau d'Eau; you know her perfectly well." - -"What! is it Violette?" - -"It is Violette." - -"Why, in that case, the young man who pretends to have had her -favors--is----" - -"Just so; it is monsieur." - -Thereupon Jericourt felt called upon to draw himself up and assume an -impertinent tone. - -"Monsieur," said he to Roncherolle, "I do not understand all the absurd -stories and fairy-tales which you have been telling us, and which have -neither head nor tail; but what seems even more inconceivable is that a -man of your age should pose as the knight of flower girls!" - -"A man of my age, monsieur, knows the world well enough to distinguish -the false from the true; and when one can avenge a woman who has been -shamelessly defamed by a conceited coxcomb, age makes no difference, -monsieur, as I hope to prove to your satisfaction." - -"Really, I am very condescending to answer you!" retorted Jericourt, -throwing himself back and swinging his legs. "Be off with you, monsieur; -leave me in peace." - -"I will be off, monsieur, but with you, I hope." - -"Oh! that would be amusing! Faith, my dear monsieur, lose your temper if -you choose, but I will not fight for a flower girl." - -"Well! will you fight for this, monsieur?" - -As he spoke, Roncherolle, who had left his seat and walked toward -Jericourt, struck him across the face with his glove. - -The young man leaped from his chair, his face became livid, and he -seemed to contemplate rushing upon Roncherolle; but the latter -maintained such a calm and impassive attitude, while holding the prongs -of a fork toward his adversary to keep him at a respectful distance, -that Jericourt contented himself with saying in a voice choked with -wrath: - -"That insult will cost you dear, monsieur!" - -"I shall be enchanted to find out whether that is so, monsieur; and I -propose that we finish this matter not later than to-morrow morning." - -"Yes, monsieur; to-morrow, at nine o'clock in the morning, I will be in -the woods, near Porte Saint-Mande." - -"I will be there at that time." - -"Saint-Arthur, you witnessed the insult, you must be my second." - -"I, your second; why, I don't know if----" - -"Be kind enough to have two seconds," said Roncherolle, "for I shall -bring two." - -"Until to-morrow, monsieur; Saint-Arthur, be at my rooms before eight -o'clock." - -Jericourt seized his hat and rushed from the room like a madman, without -saluting anybody. - -The young actress did not think of laughing, she was deeply impressed by -all that had happened. As for Alfred, he turned white, red and yellow by -turns, and seemed to be inclined to weep. - -"My dear friends," said Roncherolle, resuming his seat at the table, "I -am truly sorry to have disturbed the end of your dinner thus. But what -would you have? I have been waiting for a long time for an opportunity -to settle affairs with this fellow Jericourt." - -"Then you are certain that the pretty flower girl has been slandered?" -said Zizi. - -"Perfectly sure. However, this duel will be the judgment of God. Let us -drink to the triumph of the truth." - -"I am not thirsty any more," faltered Saint-Arthur. "Here I am forced to -be a second in a duel! I don't like that at all, for--are your seconds -quick-tempered?" - -"Not the least in the world; I shall bring two mere boys; you have -nothing to fear; your part will be absolutely passive; you will be there -only to look on, for there is no possible adjustment of the affair with -my adversary." - -"Ah! if it's only a matter of looking on, that's different; rely on me." - -"Oh! how I wish it were to-morrow noon," said Zizi. "But now good-night, -let us separate; I am no longer in the mood for talking nonsense. I am -only a good-for-nothing, Monsieur de Roncherolle, but all the same I -will pray to God for you; and who knows? perhaps He will listen to me." - -On leaving the restaurant, Roncherolle walked back and forth in front of -the theatres on Boulevard du Temple; he knew that Chicotin was -particularly devoted to that place, where he often succeeded in -obtaining an admission ticket, which he did not sell, but with which he -went into the theatre. And in fact Roncherolle had not been walking -there ten minutes when he spied the person for whom he was looking. - -"Hello! is that you, bourgeois?" cried the young messenger. "Have you -been to the play? If you are not going back, make me a present of your -check." - -"No, my boy, I haven't been to the play; but listen carefully to what I -am going to say to you, for it is very serious, very important; I need -you to-morrow, you must be at my room at eight o'clock at the latest." - -"That is easy enough, I will be there. Is that all?" - -"No, I also want your friend Georget, Violette's young sweetheart, to -come with you; I need him too." - -"Is that so? What for, bourgeois?" - -"I will tell you both to-morrow, not before; meanwhile, let your friend -understand that his future happiness and Violette's are concerned." - -"Oh! in that case, never fear; he won't fail to come!" - -"But don't mention this to anybody, not even to Violette; it is a -secret." - -"We won't say a word." - -"Are you sure of seeing Georget this evening?" - -"Pardi! when he doesn't go to walk with Violette, he is at home; at any -rate, he must go home, and I will wait for him." - -"Very well, is he still with Monsieur Malberg?" - -"Yes, but he sleeps in his own lodgings." - -"Don't let him say a word of this to--to Monsieur Malberg." - -"Never you fear; indeed, he probably won't see him until after he sees -you." - -"Until to-morrow then, and both of you." - -"We will be there, monsieur." - -"By the way, bring a cab with you; don't forget." - -"A cab, all right, monsieur." - -The next morning at half-past seven, Roncherolle was up and dressed and -was cleaning a pair of pistols, which, despite his destitution, he had -always kept. At a few minutes before eight, the door was opened softly -and Chicotin appeared, accompanied by Georget. The latter, instead of a -blouse, wore a short coat buttoned to his chin, and on his head a blue -cloth cap of stylish shape; he held himself very erect, and his new -costume heightened the attractiveness of his face and the grace of his -figure. - -Roncherolle could not help admiring the fine appearance of the young -man, and he offered him his hand, which Georget took with an air of -respect. - -"Here we are, bourgeois," said Chicotin; "I hope we haven't kept you -waiting; I bring Georget, as you see, and the cab is downstairs." - -"That is very good, my boy. Monsieur Georget, I thank you for coming -here at my invitation; when you know what is on foot, I am sure that you -will not be sorry." - -"I am very happy, monsieur, if I can be of use to you in any way; I know -you already through Violette, whom you were kind enough to visit when -she was sick; and Chicotin told me----" - -"I told him that this morning's business had something to do with her; -but monsieur will explain the whole thing to us, and tell us why----" - -"You are in a great hurry; the most important thing now is to start; and -especially to avoid meeting my little neighbor on the stairs, for she -would ask questions which we could not very well answer at this moment." - -"Oh! it's only eight o'clock; it's cold too, and Violette doesn't go out -so early in such weather." - -"Very well, let us start, young men." - -Roncherolle took his box of pistols, which seemed to puzzle Chicotin -greatly. Georget went out first, walked to the stairs cautiously, then -motioned to them that they might go down. All three were soon at the -door, which was kept by Mirontaine only; he barked when anybody came in, -but never when they went out. - -Monsieur de Roncherolle entered the cab, told Georget and Chicotin to -enter with him, although the latter declared that he would be quite as -comfortable behind, and bade the coachman take them to the Porte -Saint-Mande, by the Vincennes road. - -"Oho! we are going to the country," cried Chicotin; "we shan't find much -shade there!" - -"I can tell you now, messieurs, why I have brought you with me," said -Roncherolle. "It is for the purpose of being my seconds; for I have a -duel on hand, I am going to fight a duel with pistols this morning." - -"You are going to fight?" cried Georget, deeply moved. - -"Yes, my friend; if I had told you that beforehand, would you have -refused to come with me?" - -"Oh, no! on the contrary, I would have begged you to take me." - -"I was sure of it beforehand, young man." - -"And I too, bourgeois; I like fights! they just suit me! But what are we -two going to fight with? We haven't any weapons; are we to fight with -fists? I like that too." - -"No, not with fists or anything else; you are my seconds, and you will -not be called upon to fight at all." - -"So much the worse! of what use shall we be then?" - -"To affirm the innocence of a young girl whom I hope to avenge. I am -going to fight with Monsieur Jericourt." - -"With Monsieur Jericourt?" cried Georget; "with that man who laid the -trap for Violette and then slandered her so abominably?" - -"Just so; do you consider that I am doing wrong?" - -"Oh, monsieur! what good fortune! that Jericourt! I have been looking -for him everywhere, and haven't found him. But you are not the one who's -going to fight with him, monsieur; I am; for I am the man whom he -insulted most cruelly; I am the man whom he injured most; I am to be the -husband of the woman whom he tried to dishonor. You must see, monsieur, -that I am the one who must fight with him." - -"My dear Georget, I was very sure that you would say all that; I -expected it; but be calm and listen to me. I was in this gentleman's -company yesterday; I have long been looking for an opportunity. I told -him what I thought of his conduct toward Violette. I demanded -satisfaction for his slanders, but he refused; then I struck him in the -face. The duel was instantly arranged for this morning. Now, this -gentleman has the right to demand satisfaction for the outrage -inflicted upon his face; if I did not fight, if I allowed you to fight -in my place, I should act like a coward; and as I have never had that -reputation, you will permit me not to earn it now. All that I can do, my -dear Monsieur Georget, is, if I fall, to allow you to take my place and -to renew the combat with this gentleman. Now it is all understood and -arranged. Not a word more on that subject, for it would be useless.--But -we have arrived." - -The carriage stopped on the outskirts of the wood; Roncherolle alighted -with the two young men, Chicotin carrying the box of pistols. They -looked about in all directions but saw nobody. - -"Is it possible that he will not come?" murmured Georget, stamping the -ground impatiently. - -"Is he going to squeal?" said Chicotin. - -"There is no time wasted yet, messieurs, and his seconds may have kept -him waiting.--But look, I see a carriage in the distance.--I'll wager -that they're the people we expect." - -The carriage reached the wood and they saw Jericourt, Saint-Arthur and -little Astianax at once alight from it. - -"_Saperlotte!_ the seconds are not big fellows," cried Chicotin; "I know -'em; both of 'em together wouldn't make one decent man. I could eat half -a dozen of them without difficulty!" - -Roncherolle imposed silence upon Chicotin with a glance. Jericourt came -forward with his two friends; Saint-Arthur acted as if he had a pain in -his stomach, and little Astianax looked in both directions at once. - -"What does this mean?" cried Jericourt, as he scrutinized Chicotin, -while Georget glared at him with flaming eyes; "what! Monsieur de -Roncherolle chooses a messenger for his second? Really, I should have -supposed that he could find some one better than that.--You see, -messieurs, the honor that he does you, and with whom you are brought -into relations!" - -"What's that? what's that?" cried Chicotin, turning up his sleeves; "do -I hear anybody sneering at me? Ah! as I live! I'll smash the principal -and his seconds in a second." - -"Be quiet," said Roncherolle sternly. Then, walking toward his -adversary's two seconds, he said to them: - -"I have brought this young man, messieurs, Monsieur Georget, because he -is the fiance, the future husband of the young girl whom monsieur -attempted to ruin. No one has a better right to be here than he, for the -honor of the woman whom he is to marry is the motive of this duel. As -for my other second, this honest fellow here, he is only a messenger, it -is true, but it was he who saved the young flower girl when, driven to -desperation by contemptuous treatment and humiliation, and by the -thought of passing for what she was not, she was on the point of jumping -into the canal and seeking an end to her suffering there. Do you not -think, messieurs, that this honest fellow who brought back hope to -Violette's heart, also has a right to be present at a battle which is -to rehabilitate her honor? Come, messieurs, which of you will undertake -to maintain the contrary, and will blush to have to deal with such -seconds? Neither of you, I am sure!" - -Saint-Arthur and Astianax contented themselves with bowing low to -Roncherolle, who continued: - -"Very good, everything is arranged; now, my adversary has the choice of -weapons." - -"He chooses pistols," said Astianax. - -"Pistols it is; I have brought some." - -"So have we." - -"We will take yours, if you choose; it makes no difference to me. My -adversary has the right to fire first also, I recognize that; you see -that we shall have no difficulty. Let us go a little way into the woods, -and have done with it." - -The whole party walked into the woods and stopped in a solitary place, -where there was a clearing suitable for the duel. Astianax, having -spoken to Jericourt, returned to Roncherolle and said: - -"Is fifteen paces satisfactory to you, monsieur?" - -"Ordinarily, the seconds would decide such matters among themselves; but -no matter, that is satisfactory to me; mark off the distance and I will -take my place." - -Astianax counted the paces, while Saint-Arthur leaned against a tree at -a distance; as for Georget and Chicotin, Roncherolle was obliged to hold -them back by his glance. - -Young Astianax, having finished measuring the distance, handed to each -combatant a pistol, which he took from the box he had brought; then he -stood aside, saying: - -"They are loaded; I believe there is nothing more for me to do now." - -"It is for you to begin, monsieur," said Roncherolle, bowing to -Jericourt. - -Jericourt took a long aim, then fired; the ball from his pistol grazed -his adversary's right side and made him turn slightly; Georget started -to run to him, but Roncherolle motioned to him not to stir and speedily -resumed his position, saying: - -"That was not bad, but it was not quite the thing." - -He fired almost instantly, and Jericourt, wounded in the breast, fell to -the ground. - -The four seconds rushed at once to the assistance of the wounded man, -who was already discharging blood through his mouth; and when he saw -Georget, he said to him in a faint voice: - -"I lied--she is innocent--tell her that I confess, that----" - -The unhappy wretch closed his eyes and could say no more; Chicotin took -him in his arms and carried him to the carriage which had brought him, -which Astianax also entered. As for Saint-Arthur, he had disappeared and -they were unable to find him. - -Georget ran back to Roncherolle, crying: - -"He confessed, monsieur; he confessed; he admitted that he had slandered -Violette! all those gentlemen heard him as well as I!" - -"That is well, my young friend; that is what I wanted. Now you must give -me your arm to help me to walk back to the carriage." - -"Oh! are you wounded too, monsieur?" - -"A scratch, a mere scratch, but it troubles me when walking. I will lean -on you." - -"Oh! as hard as you please, monsieur. What a debt of gratitude I owe -you! And Violette, when she knows it----" - -"I knew perfectly well that she deserved to be defended; but I am very -glad to have spared you that trouble; and then, you see, I have done a -lot of foolish things in my life, and I am not sorry to do some good now -and then." - -Chicotin reached the carriage just as Monsieur de Roncherolle and -Georget entered it. The young messenger's face was all awry, and he -faltered: - -"All the same, it gives a man a shock--a young man, who was so well a -minute ago----" - -"Well? Monsieur Jericourt, how is he?" asked Roncherolle. - -"He is stone dead!" - - - - -XLIV - -THE EMBROIDERED HANDKERCHIEF - - -While the duel which concerned the pretty flower girl was in progress, -the girl herself was greatly surprised to see Pongo appear at her door -about nine o'clock. - -"Master," he said, "he want mamzelle to come and see him after her dress -herself all fine; yes, dress herself all fine, and bring a big bouquet." - -Violette hastened to answer that she would obey Monsieur Malberg's -orders; but as she donned her best dress and her prettiest cap, she said -to herself: - -"Probably Monsieur Malberg wants to send me somewhere, for he would not -tell me to dress in my best just to go to his house. Besides, the -bouquet that he wants--no doubt I shall have to go to Madame de -Grangeville's.--So much the better! I like that lady very much, and it's -a long time since I carried her a bouquet." - -When he saw Violette enter his room, so fresh and pretty and graceful, -and wearing a dress, which, although appropriate to her rank in life, -gave an added charm to her person, none the less, the count could not -help sighing, as he said to himself: - -"I should have been very happy if I could have called her my daughter." - -"Here I am, monsieur, I have obeyed your orders," said Violette; "I have -done what your servant told me to do; do I look well, monsieur?" - -"Yes, my child, yes, very well; and I have no doubt that Madame de -Grangeville will find you charming thus." - -"Am I going to that lady's house? I suspected it, monsieur." - -"So much the better!--Listen to me, Violette; I must tell you now that -this lady to whom I am sending you knew your mother and the secret of -your birth; if your mother is still alive, if she is disposed to -recognize you as her daughter, this lady will tell you so." - -"Is it possible, monsieur?" - -"Yes, and for that purpose, you are going to-day to tell her all that -you know about your birth, giving her to understand that you have known -it only a short time; and then you will finish your story by showing her -this handkerchief, which I give back to you to-day, so that it may help -you to find your parents." - -"Ah! I am all of a tremble, monsieur; the thought that perhaps I am -going to find my mother--why haven't you let me say all this to that -lady before?" - -"Because, my child, before confiding such an important matter to her, I -wanted her to have time to appreciate you, so that you might not be a -stranger to her." - -"And suppose this lady, after listening to me, after seeing this -handkerchief, should not mention my mother to me?" - -"In that case, my poor girl, it would mean that you no longer have a -mother, that all hope of finding her is vanished. But such a supposition -does not seem possible to me; no, she cannot spurn you again; and those -who brought you into this world will be only too happy to lavish their -caresses upon you." - -"Shall I tell this lady it's you who send me this time?" - -"Not by any means; let her still think that it is Monsieur de -Merval.--Go, Violette; and if it is possible, come back here and tell me -the result of your visit to--to Madame de Grangeville." - -"If it is possible! who could prevent me from coming back to you, -monsieur?--I will go at once, and you will see me again soon." - -The young girl took her bouquet and started for the abode of the lady -who, as she had been told, might restore her mother to her; a thousand -confused thoughts, a thousand hopes surged through Violette's mind, and -she reached the house intensely excited and trembling from head to foot, -and asked Mademoiselle Lizida if she could see her mistress. - -"I think so," said the lady's maid; "madame was at a ball last night, -but she did not return very late; it is twelve o'clock, and she has just -risen; I will announce you and your bouquet." - -After a few moments, Violette was ushered into the presence of Madame de -Grangeville, who was seated before her mirror, completing her morning -toilet, and who smiled at the young girl, saying to her: - -"Ah! here is my pretty little flower girl. It is a long while since you -came last, little one; I am neglected nowadays; Monsieur de Merval is -less attentive to me." - -"I don't know, madame----" - -"Let me see your bouquet; it is very pretty, but I saw finer ones at the -ball last night. Sit down, my girl, and let us talk a bit. Why! how you -are dressed up to-day! where are you going this morning, pray?" - -"I am going nowhere but here, madame." - -"Oho! then it was for me that you made this toilet. You look very well; -and I--this cap--do you think that it is becoming to me? I look a little -tired, do I not? They absolutely insisted upon making me dance last -night.--But what ails you, my child? One would say that you were not -listening to me; you seem distraught." - -"Ah! madame, it is because----" - -"Because what? finish your sentence." - -"Since I had the honor to see you last, I have learned something -about----" - -"About what?" - -"About my birth, about my family." - -"Your family; you told me that you were an abandoned child." - -"True, madame; but someone who knew my nurse has told me several things -which may help me, they say, to find my parents." - -"Really--I think I will put on a blue ribbon instead of a pink one, it -will look better.--Were you not left at the Foundling Hospital in -Paris?" - -"No, madame, I was born in Paris, but I was given in charge of a nurse, -who came from Picardie, and who went back to her province at once." - -Madame de Grangeville ceased to toy with her cap and said to -Mademoiselle Lizida, who was putting the room in order: - -"Leave us, go.--You were saying that your nurse lived in Picardie?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"What was her name?" - -"Marguerite Thomasseau." - -"Marguerite--are you sure that her name was Marguerite?" - -"Yes, madame." - -"And--and you--what name did your parents give you?" - -"The gentleman who placed me in my nurse's hands--she did not know -whether he was my father, but she presumed that he was--told her that my -name was Evelina de Paulausky." - -Madame de Grangeville moved suddenly on her chair; but instead of -approaching Violette, she drew away from her; one would have thought -that she was afraid of the girl. The latter waited anxiously to hear -what the lady was going to say to her; but several moments, which seemed -very long, passed, and not a word fell from the lips of Madame de -Grangeville, whose head had fallen on her breast, and who seemed to be -absorbed in her reflections. - -Violette decided to continue. - -"That is not all, madame," she said; "it seems that when he placed me in -charge of my nurse, instead of giving her a _layette_, he gave her some -men's clothes, among which there was a handkerchief belonging to my -mother. - -"Aha! did he say that?" - -"Yes, the gentleman said so when he gave it to my nurse; and she always -kept it, hoping that it might enable me some day to make myself known to -her who brought me into the world." - -"Well! and that handkerchief----" - -"It was given to me to-day; here it is--would you like to look at it, -madame?" - -With a trembling hand Violette held out the handkerchief to the woman -whom a secret voice told her was her mother. Madame de Grangeville took -it without turning her head, and examined it a moment; only a glance was -necessary for her to recognize it; but she had already ceased to doubt -that Violette was her daughter, and although she had been reflecting in -silence for some moments, it was only to consider whether she should -confess to the young flower girl that she was her mother. After some -moments' reflection, she said to herself that there was no reason why -she should recognize as her daughter a little flower girl, whose -presence in her house would constantly embarrass her and incommode her, -and would necessarily let everyone know that she was over thirty-five -years old. - -Violette, who was waiting, hoping, hardly breathing while Madame de -Grangeville held the handkerchief in her hands, said to her at last: - -"Well, madame--that handkerchief----" - -"It is very handsome, mademoiselle, and beautifully embroidered." - -As she spoke, the lady handed the handkerchief back to her; the girl -could not make up her mind to take it, but said in a faltering tone: - -"Has madame--nothing else--to say to me?" - -"Why, mademoiselle, what do you suppose that I can have to say to you?" - -"I beg pardon; but I was led to hope--that madame--that madame knew--my -mother, and that----" - -"Somebody has been telling you things that are utterly absurd, -mademoiselle," replied Madame de Grangeville, in a very cold tone; "and -you may say to those who told you that, that they have been dreaming, -nothing more.--Here, take your handkerchief, I have no use for -it.--Lizida! Lizida! come and dress me; I am going out." - -Violette understood that she had her dismissal; she rose with a heavy -heart, carefully replaced the handkerchief in her breast; and as she -bowed to Madame de Grangeville, she said to her in a voice choked by -sobs: - -"Adieu, madame; forgive me for weeping before you, but I hoped to find -my mother here." - -"Adieu, mademoiselle; take my advice, and think no more about that; -don't foster any such fancies in your head; and when you see Monsieur -de Merval, tell him that he is mistaken, completely mistaken." - -Violette went away, weeping bitterly; and in that condition she returned -to Monsieur de Brevanne and told him of her interview with Madame de -Grangeville. - -The count pressed the young girl to his heart, saying: - -"Poor child! the woman who gave you life is unworthy of your love, of -your caresses; but if you have not found your mother, be comforted; I -will take the place of your family, and I will never abandon you." - -The count had been trying to comfort Violette but a few moments, when -the door of his apartment was violently thrown open, and Georget -appeared, out of breath, drenched with perspiration, and with joy -gleaming in his eyes. - -"She is here, isn't she, monsieur?" he cried; "yes, here she is! -Rejoice, Violette! rejoice! No one now can have any doubt of your -innocence; you are avenged! Monsieur de Roncherolle has fought a duel -with Jericourt. I wanted to fight in his place, but he wouldn't let me; -we were his seconds. Oh! I ran at the top of my speed to your stand; I -was in such a hurry to tell you about it." - -Monsieur de Brevanne forced Georget to sit down, as he could say no -more; when he had recovered his breath, he gave them an exact account of -all that had taken place during the morning; of the duel and of its -results. Violette listened with emotion; Monsieur de Roncherolle's -devotion to her brought tears to her eyes. The count, who had also -listened to Georget with the deepest interest, said to the girl: - -"You see, my child, Heaven sends you a great consolation already: your -innocence is fully established; no doubt it is lamentable that a man -should have had to pay with his life for the slanders that he had -circulated, but while you may regret that calamity, you certainly cannot -accuse yourself of it. As for Monsieur de Roncherolle, his behavior in -this matter deserves nothing but praise; he is entitled to all your -gratitude; and before long he will be well repaid for what he has -done.--But didn't you say, Georget, that he was wounded also?" - -"Yes, monsieur, on the right side; the bullet made a hole there; he says -that it's nothing, but we put him to bed, Chicotin and I, and my friend -has gone to fetch the doctor." - -"I am going to take my place by his side, and be his nurse," said -Violette. - -"Go, my child; devote yourself to Monsieur de Roncherolle; that is your -duty, and I am quite certain that it is also a pleasure to your heart." - -When he saw the young flower girl enter his room, Roncherolle sat up in -bed, held out his hand with a smile, and said to her: - -"I was sure that my two chatterboxes would go at once to tell you all -about it. Well, yes, I fought for you, my child; ten thousand devils! -you are well worth the trouble. The little fellow didn't want to let me -do it; he wanted to fight in my place. Ah! he has a stout heart, he is -a fine fellow; but he is too young as yet; and then it was much better -to have it happen as it did." - -"Oh! how can I express my gratitude, monsieur?" - -"No gratitude; affection,--that is much better." - -"Will you allow me to kiss you?" - -"Will I allow you! I shouldn't have dared to suggest it, my child, but I -accept with all my heart!" - -And Roncherolle embraced Violette, whose eyes were moist with tears; but -this time it was a pleasant emotion which caused them to flow. - -Chicotin brought a doctor, who examined the wound, and ordered perfect -rest. But in the evening the gout reappeared, and the wounded man said -with a sigh: - -"The doctor need have no fear, I fancy I shan't move for some time yet." - -"I will stay with you faithfully," said Violette; "I will not leave you -until you are cured." - -"I don't propose to have that, my little neighbor; you will go to sell -your flowers as usual, and come here in the evening; even that will be -very kind of you." - -Georget also asked Monsieur de Roncherolle's permission to come to see -him, and he replied, pressing his hand: - -"As often as you can, my young friend; a little bit for me, and a great -deal for this child,--for whom you will be a pleasant companion, and who -will not be sorry to have you." - -The next morning the count called early to inquire for the wounded man's -health, and told the concierge to tell Violette that someone wished to -speak to her. - -The girl ran downstairs and said to the count: - -"You might have come up to my poor patient's room, monsieur, for he is -asleep just now; and as he slept almost none during the night, I hope -that he will not wake for some time." - -"I thought that his wound amounted to nothing?" - -"We thought so at first, monsieur; but he has had an attack of gout -which has made him very feverish, and increased his pain." - -"Well, my child, to give him some relief in his suffering, take this -letter to him, and when he is calm, and you two are alone, give it to -him." - -"Very good, monsieur; and shall I say that it is from you?" - -"Yes, yes, you may act without secrecy now. Au revoir, my child; I hope -that the contents of this letter, bringing him good news, will restore -your--your neighbor's health." - -The count took his leave; Violette carefully bestowed in her bosom the -letter which he had handed her, and returned to the sick man. - -About noon, Roncherolle, his pain having subsided, felt more calm, and -tried to smile at the girl who was nursing him, saying to her: - -"You are alone, dear child; have our young men left you?" - -"Yes, monsieur, they are at their work; but I am not sorry, for you are -comfortable now and I have something to tell you--that is to say, -something to give you." - -"Something to give me? without their knowledge?" - -"Yes, monsieur, this letter; and as I was told that it would give you -pleasure, that it might perhaps contribute to restoring your health, I -was in a hurry to be alone with you so that I might give it to you." - -"A letter that will give me pleasure! From whom did you get it, my -girl?" - -"From--from Monsieur Malberg." - -"From Monsieur Malberg? Georget's protector?" - -"Himself, monsieur." - -Roncherolle manifested such emotion, his face became so deathly pale, -that the girl was terrified. - -"What is the matter, monsieur? do you feel worse?" - -"No, but what you've just told me surprised me so.--Do you know Monsieur -Malberg, pray?" - -"Yes, monsieur. Oh! he is very kind, I tell you! he took Georget and his -mother into his house, he is interested in me, and he has tried to help -me to find my parents." - -"Your parents--but give me the letter, my child." - -"Here it is, monsieur." - -Roncherolle took the letter with a trembling hand and broke the seal. He -instantly recognized the writing of the man who had been his friend, and -his eyes, with feverish eagerness, read these lines: - - "You were very guilty toward me. But God forgives the penitent man, - and I should not be more inexorable than He. I give you your - daughter; you have fought for her honor, and that act may well - have earned pardon for your desertion of the child. - - "Comte de Brevanne." - -As he read, Roncherolle became more excited; then he looked at Violette; -and when he had finished the letter, his eyes rested upon the girl with -an expression of such pure affection, that she was greatly moved, and -faltered: - -"What is it, monsieur? That letter was supposed to give you pleasure." - -"Ah! it makes me very, very happy, my dear child; so happy that I dare -not as yet believe in my happiness. It speaks to me of my daughter, whom -I had lost, abandoned, and of whose fate I knew nothing!" - -"You abandoned your daughter?" - -"Yes.--Ah! I dared not confess that to you; one does not like to blush -before those who show affection for one; but you, Violette, tell me, in -pity's name, do you know nothing about your parents? Have you nothing of -theirs, no token which might identify you?" - -"Excuse me, monsieur; if I have not spoken to you about it before, it is -because Monsieur Malberg forbade me to do so; but to-day he said to me: -'Have no more secrets from Monsieur de Roncherolle;' so I can tell you -everything." - -"Speak, speak!" - -"In the first place, they gave me the name of Evelina de Paulausky; and -then they kept this handkerchief for me, which belonged to my -mother--see." - -"Enough! enough!" murmured Roncherolle, holding out his arms to -Violette. "Dear child, if you can forgive me for deserting you, come to -your father's arms!" - -"You, my father! my heart had divined it!" cried Violette, throwing -herself into Roncherolle's arms, where he held her for a long time, -against his heart. - -But such violent emotion brought on a fresh attack, and the invalid, who -longed to say a thousand things to his daughter, had not the strength to -do it; she was obliged to entreat him to be calm and to rest. - -After some time, Roncherolle, feeling more at ease, motioned to Violette -to approach his bed, and bade her tell him all that he whom she still -called Monsieur Malberg had done for her. The girl concealed nothing -from her father, neither the bouquets which she had carried to Madame de -Grangeville, nor the last interview she had had with that lady. And -Roncherolle raised his eyes to heaven, murmuring: - -"She told her that she did not know her mother!" - -Then Violette informed her father that Georget's patron had come to see -him during his last illness, when he was destitute; and she added: - -"It was the very next day that you received that letter with money; I am -very sure myself that it was he who sent it." - -"Ah! this is too much! this is too much!" muttered Roncherolle, putting -his hand to his eyes. "He has avenged himself more thoroughly than if he -had killed me, for he has made me realize what a friend I have lost, -and how often serious is a fault which men are accustomed to treat so -slightingly!" - -Georget came very soon to inquire for the invalid's health. On learning -that the girl he loved was Monsieur de Roncherolle's daughter, the poor -boy was struck dumb; he feared at once that that discovery would -interpose obstacles to his union with Violette; but Roncherolle, reading -his thought in his eyes, held out his hand to him and said: - -"My friend, I have no right to cherish prejudices; besides, I have -allowed my daughter to sell flowers, so I may consistently allow her to -marry an ex-messenger.--You love each other, my children, and I shall -never oppose your happiness." - -Chicotin appeared at that moment, and when he was told of all that had -happened, he danced about the room, and attempted to make the furniture -dance. To keep him quiet, they were obliged to remind him that he was in -a sick room, whereupon he went out and skipped upon the boulevard. - -Georget informed his patron of all that had happened at Roncherolle's -room, and of the blessings which the father and the daughter had -showered upon him; the count smiled as he said: - -"Yes, I believe after all that one is happier in avenging himself as I -have done." - -Six days passed, during which Roncherolle was better and worse -alternately. On the seventh day, he woke with a violent fever; his wound -pained him terribly, and it seemed from his general prostration and the -faintness of his voice, that his strength was leaving him. But, still -trying to conceal his suffering, especially from his daughter's eyes, he -called her to his bedside about mid-day, and said, trying to smile: - -"My dear love, do you want to make me very happy?" - -"Tell me what I must do, father?" - -"You must go to the Comte de Brevanne--for that is the real name of -Georget's patron--and tell him yourself how grateful I am to him for -giving me back my daughter, although I had inflicted such injury upon -him. You must assure him again of my repentance, and beg him to repeat -that he forgives me." - -"But I should rather not leave you to-day, father; you seem very much -depressed, and you are in greater pain." - -"No, no, you are mistaken; I am in no more pain than usual; so do my -errand; it seems to me that that will afford me great relief." - -"Oh! then I will do what you say, father; I hear Chicotin now, and I -will tell him not to leave you until I return." - -The girl hastily put on what she needed to go out, then embraced her -father. Roncherolle held her to his heart for a long time. She started -toward the door, but he called her back, that he might kiss her once -more; he strove to smile at her, and followed her with his eyes until -she had left the room; then he let his head fall back on the pillow, -saying: - -"Dear love! I think that I have done well to send her away." - -On leaving the house Violette met Georget, who was coming to inquire for -her father, and who proposed to accompany his sweetheart to his patron's -house. But the girl begged him to let her go alone, and to go up to her -father; she was afraid that Chicotin might make a mistake about giving -him what he asked for. Georget complied with Violette's request, and -instead of accompanying her, he went up to Monsieur de Roncherolle. - -When Violette arrived at Monsieur de Brevanne's, he was at home, but -engaged with contractors, architects and men who were working upon some -property of his in Paris; the girl waited until he was at liberty, for -she was unwilling to return to her father without complying with his -wishes and seeing the count. At last he was alone, and Violette was able -to express to him all her gratitude for what she owed him, and to -deliver her father's message. - -Monsieur de Brevanne listened attentively to what Roncherolle had -instructed his daughter to say to him. He took Violette's hands in his, -and said to her: - -"Yes, my dear love, I have forgiven your father, and he must know that I -never speak except from the dictates of my heart." - -"I will repeat your very words to him, monsieur," said Violette, "and I -hope that it will do him good; for I saw plainly enough to-day that he -was suffering more, although he tried to hide it from me; but this -morning, when he looked at his wound, the doctor did not seem at all -satisfied." - -"I thought that his wound was a slight one?" - -"So it was, monsieur, but a constant fever has prevented it from -healing." - -"If that is so, I will go with you, my child; I will take you back to -your father, and see for myself how he is. Perhaps he should have -another doctor." - -"Oh! you are so kind, monsieur, and I am so grateful to you! Would you -be willing to see my father, and to tell him what you have just told me? -I have an idea that that would cure him at once." - -The count at once led Violette away, saying: - -"Come, my child; let us first find out how he is." - -It was but a short distance from the count's house to Roncherolle's -lodgings. Violette and Monsieur de Brevanne soon arrived. The concierge -was not in her lodge, and Mirontaine received them, barking in most -lugubrious fashion. - -"That is strange!" murmured Violette; "this dog knows me perfectly well, -so why does she make that noise? why does she howl like that? Mon Dieu! -they say that that announces some calamity!" - -And the girl ran rapidly up the stairs, while the count tried to -reassure her. But when they reached the fifth floor, they saw Georget -and Chicotin standing outside Roncherolle's door. Violette would have -passed into the room, but Georget put his arms about her and detained -her, and she saw that his eyes were filled with tears. - -"O my God! my father is dead!" cried the girl. - -Georget and his friend sadly hung their heads; thereupon Violette fell -into Monsieur de Brevanne's arms, faltering: - -"Oh! I have lost my father, monsieur! and it was so short a time since -Heaven gave him back to me!" - -"Courage, my poor child," said the count; "hereafter I will take his -place!" - - - - -XLV - -CONCLUSION - - -After Roncherolle's death, Monsieur de Brevanne took Violette into his -family and treated her as his daughter. He provided different masters -for both Violette and Georget, who completed their education. - -Study, Georget's love, and the count's affection, gradually changed -Violette's grief into a melancholy souvenir. Sometimes she said to -Monsieur de Brevanne: - -"So you don't want me to sell flowers any more, monsieur?" - -"No, my child," the count said with a smile. "You shall have flowers, -you shall raise them, and pick as many as you please; but you no longer -need to sell them, for I am wealthy, and when your mourning is at an -end, I propose to marry you to Georget and share my fortune with you." - -A few weeks after Roncherolle's death, of which the count informed -Monsieur de Merval, the latter met Madame de Grangeville on the street, -and she eagerly accosted him. - -"At last I meet you, my sincere, my generous friend, and I am able to -express my gratitude for what you are doing for me. No more mystery, my -dear Merval, I know all; I recognized your handwriting; indeed, what -other than yourself would have acted so delicately toward me? But I -assure you that as to the little flower girl, you are mistaken, you are -entirely wrong; it was simply some resemblance of feature which led you -to think that." - -Monsieur de Merval listened without interrupting, and when she had -finished, he said to her in a very grave tone: - -"Madame, it is time that you should be disabused concerning the error -under which you are laboring. I am not entitled to your thanks, the -money which you receive from an unknown hand is not sent to you by me, I -tell you again; but I have a shrewd suspicion from whom it does come." - -"Who is it, pray? For heaven's sake, give me the name of that generous -friend." - -"The Comte de Brevanne, madame." - -Madame de Grangeville made a slight grimace and shut her lips together -in annoyance, muttering: - -"My husband! what an idea! how on earth could he have learned that I was -in straitened circumstances?" - -"It was I who told him, madame, after I had the honor to pay you a -visit; I did not think that I did wrong in informing Monsieur de -Brevanne that your situation was not--was not prosperous." - -"I did not give you that commission, monsieur.--But in that case--the -flower girl----" - -"It was he who sent her also, madame." - -"Really, monsieur, I utterly failed to understand the romance that that -girl told me. Someone has believed, or imagined, things which are -utterly absurd." - -"It seems, madame, that Monsieur de Roncherolle understood better than -you did, for he did not fail to acknowledge that young flower girl as -his daughter." - -"His daughter! Monsieur de Roncherolle acknowledged her as his -daughter?" - -"Yes, madame, before he died." - -"What! Roncherolle is dead?" - -"He is dead, madame, and he died asking forgiveness of the friend whom -he had so deeply injured." - -"Ah! poor Roncherolle! So he is dead! Well, after all, he was wise, for -he was in a pitiable plight. And--and--the little flower girl?" - -"She is living with the Comte de Brevanne, madame. He has adopted her, -and _he_ will never abandon her! Ah! there are few men like the count, -and you should be very proud, madame, that you once bore his name!" - -Madame de Grangeville could not repress a gesture of annoyance; but she -restrained herself, bowed coldly to Monsieur de Merval and hurriedly -left him. - -Toward the close of the Carnival, which came shortly after, Madame de -Grangeville, as the result of wearing a much too decollete costume at a -ball, was seized with inflammation of the lungs; and a week after taking -to her bed, she realized that she would never leave it again. - -Thereupon a maternal sentiment sprang up in that woman's heart for the -first time; for thus far she had lived solely for herself. Hastily -writing a few words in a trembling hand, she begged the count to be kind -enough to send her daughter to her, as she would like to embrace her -before she breathed her last. - -But the count said to his wife's messenger: - -"When a person has twice spurned her child, she must not hope that that -child will close her eyes. It is too late now for Violette to know her -mother." - -A few days after Madame de Grangeville's death, the Comte de Brevanne -resumed his name and his title, and there was an end of Monsieur -Malberg. - -The Glumeau family continues to give private theatricals in its little -wood, but Chambourdin is not allowed to seat ladies on the branches of -trees. - -Little Saint-Arthur, having squandered his last sou with Mademoiselle -Zizi Dutaillis, considered himself too fortunate to have found another -place as clerk in a dry-goods shop, where he has resumed his own name -and has become Benoit Canard as before. But the young actress is a -good-hearted girl; she still allows her former friend to come to see her -sometimes, and on those occasions it is she who invites him to -breakfast. - -As for Chicotin, he insists upon remaining a messenger. Witnessing the -happiness of Georget and Violette, he says to himself: - -"They owe it partly to me; but I am perfectly sure that if I were in -hard luck they would give me a share of their good fortune." - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -as he re-replied=> as he replied {pg 17} - -The concierge went dowstairs=> The concierge went downstairs {pg 188} - - * * * * * - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau, -v.2 (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XVI), by Charles Paul de Kock - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE FLOWER GIRL, V.2 *** - -***** This file should be named 40862.txt or 40862.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/8/6/40862/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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